PLATE  I. 


TREATISE 


ON   THE 


INSECT  ENEMIES  OF  FRUIT  AND  FRUIT  TREES. 


WITH 


ttumermta  Mustrcitimtis  fcrrmm  from  ttaturc,  bg  ^acljstdn,  uniter  tlje 
tmmtiJtate  swptxmsum  sf  tlje 


BY 

ISAAC   P.  TRIMBLE,  M.D., 

ENTOMOLOGIST    OF    THE    STATE    AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETY    OF  NEW  JERSEY  ;    ENTOMOLOGIST    OF  THE  HORTICULTURAL 
ASSOCIATION    OF   THE    AMERICAN    INSTITUTE,    ETC.,    ETC. 


Curculio  and  the  Apple  Moth. 


NEW     Y  OR  K.- 
WILLIAM   WOOD    &    COMPANY,    61     WALKER    STREET. 

1865. 


•        T75 


««AINLI«ftAM> 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1865,  by 

WILLIAM  WOOD  &  CO., 
In  the  Clerk'»  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


R.    CRAICHEAD,    PRINTER, 

81,  83,  and  85  Centre  street,  Neat  York. 


THIS  WORK 

Has  been  prepared  by  one  who    has    had    an    experience    of  many  years   in  a   vigorous    and    successful 

contest  with  the 

INSECT    ENEMIES    OF    FRUIT    AND    FRUIT    TREES, 

AND  is  DEDICATED  TO  THE 
FARMERS    AND    FRUIT    GROWERS    OF    OUR    COUNTRY, 

In    the    hope .  that    it   may    assist    in    explaining    some    of    the    pages    in    the    Great    Book    of  Nature, 

in   which   their   interests   are   deeply   involved. 


INTRODUCTION. 


No  other  portion  of  the  agriculture  of  our  country  is  at  this  time  receiving 
so  much  attention  as  that  devoted  to  the  culture  of  Fruit.  The  growing  of  young 
trees  in  nurseries,  as  an  art,  has  been  greatly  improved,  and  the  supply  of  such  trees 
is  enormous.  Books  have  been  prepared  by  men  of  eminent  ability  and  mature 
experience,  giving  all  necessary  information  for  the  management  of  the  orchard;  and 
the  fruits  that  have  been  proved  valuable  have  been  carefully  figured  and  described. 

Some  men  are  devoting  much  attention  to  the  improvement  of  kinds,  and  with 
most  satisfactory  results.  Fruits  that  were  highly  esteemed  a  few  years  ago  are  now 
superseded,  and  amateurs  hope  to  identify  their  names  with  better  sorts;  and  why 
not '?  There  seems  to  be  no  limit  set  by  nature  to  improvement  in  this  direction. 
The  Seckel  Pear  was  found  growing  wild  in  a  hedgerow.  Probably  the  blossom 
that  produced  the  pear,  from  the  seed  of  which  that  tree  grew,  had  been  visited  by  a 
bee  dusty  with  pollen  from  another  blossom,  and  thus  a  germ  was  fertilized,  which 
in  time  brought  forth  this  hybrid  of  such  surpassing  excellence.  The  science  of 
Botany  teaches  us  that  we  can  hybridize  as  well  as  bees,  and  improvements  in 
fruits  are  now  brought  about  as  the  designs  of  men  rather  than  as  the  accidents 
of  insects.  Grafting,  budding,  and  the  propagation  by  cuttings  give  us  the  means  of 
multiplying  these  better  kinds  with  a  rapidity  characteristic  of  the  age.  But  with  all 
these  signs  of  progress,  the  supply  of  fruit  is  far  short  of  the  wants  of  the  people. 
The  prices  are  often  extravagant  to  the  consumers,  and  do  not  always  remunerate  the 
producers. 

There  is  no  subject  more  frequently  spoken  of  in  Horticultural  and  Agricultu- 
ral societies  than  the  decay  of  fruit  trees.  We  must  all  admit,  that  in  the  older 
States  of  our  country,  orchards  do  not  flourish  as  they  did  fifty  years  ago,  and  the 
crops  of  every  variety  of  fruit  are  becoming  more  uncertain.  I  have  heard  many  dis- 
cussions on  this  subject,  and  have  often  been  surprised  how  little  of  the  cause  of  this 
decay,  or  the  uncertainty  of  the  crop,  is  ever  attributed  to  insect  enemies.  One  per- 
son will  ascribe  all  this  change  to  exhaustion  of  soil ;  another  to  improper  planting  or 
defective  cultivation.  Others  think  there  has  been  too  little  or  too  much  pruning. 
Some  will  impute  the  defect  to  a  want  of  the  proper  elements  in  the  soil,  or  of 
a  right  proportion  of  those  elements — either  the  lime,  the  potash,  the  clay,  the  sand, 
or  the  humus  is  not  present,  or  not  in  the  exact  quantity  to  meet  the  demands  of  the 
growing  tree  or  of  the  ripening  fruit.  I  have  heard  farmers  speak  learnedly  on  this 
subject  (quoting  Liebig  and  other  authorities),  whose  orchards  were  overrun  with 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

insect  enemies  that  could  have  accounted  for  all  their  troubles,  had  they  understood 
them. 

Modern  agriculture  teaches  the  advantages  of  a  rotation  of  crops,  and  it  would 
be  as  unwise  to  plant  an  orchard  where  one  of  the  same  kind  of  fruit  had  stood 
before,  as  it  would  be  to  plant  corn  or  sow  wheat  for  a  succession  of  seasons  in 
the  same  field,  unless  it  should  be  some  alluvial  spot  of  inexhaustible  fertility.  Most 
practical  farmers  know  well  that  every  soil  can  be  exhausted  by  almost  any  crop 
under  this  improvident  management.  That  has  been  the  fate  of  large  sections  of 
this  country.  But  proper  rotation  and  more  systematic  manuring  are  changing  all  this. 
The  soil  is  now  made  tb  produce  paying  crops,  and  can  just  as  well  be  made  to  pro- 
duce paying  crops  of  fruit  as  anything  else,  if  the  trees  and  the  fruits  they  bear  are 
protected  from  the  insect  enemies.  No  farm  will  produce  paying  crops  of  wheat 
where  the  Hessian  fly  or  wheat  midge  has  taken  possession.  No  prudent  farmer 
will  gather  his  crops  year  after  year  into  barns  infested  with  the  weevil.  We  might 
as  well  suppose  that  the  owner  of  a  valuable  flogk  of  sheep  that  had  been  killed  off 
by  dogs,  would  expose  another  flock  to  a  similar  danger. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  land  in  large  sections  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey  was  consi- 
dered "  worn  out."  Whole  counties  were  in  a  condition  similar  to  that  of  the 
exhausted  tobacco  lands  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  but  at  that  very  time  the  State 
was  famous  for  its  crops  of  fruit.  According  to  the  census  of  1860,  the  farming  land 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey  was  worth  about  twenty  dollars  an  acre  more  than  the 
farming  land  of  any  other  State  in  the  Union.  This  is  partly  owing  to  its  proximity 
to  the  markets  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  but  chiefly  to  the  great  improvement 
in  the  productiveness  of  the  soil  by  the  use  of  marl  and  lime,  two  most  valuable  fertili- 
zers found  in  great  abundance.  But  the  fruit  crops  of  New  Jersey  have  diminished 
in  as  great  a  ratio  as  the  value  of  the  lands  has  increased.  This  cannot  be  owing  to 
the  exhaustion  of  the  soiL  What,  then,  is  the  cause  ?  In  large  sections  of  the  State 
the  Tent  caterpillar  is  so  numerous  that  the  Apple  trees  are  stripped  of  their  leaves 
every  year.  Twenty  and  thirty  nests  are  often  seen  on  a  single  tree,  and  large 
orchards  scarcely  cast  more  shade  than  in  winter.  The  leaves  of  trees  are  vital 
organs,  the  functions  of  which  are  similar  to  those  of  the  lungs  in  animals.  The 
Canker  worms,  Palmer  worms,  and  several  other  species  of  caterpillars  that  feed  upon 
the  leaves  of  our  fruit  trees,  are  injurious  just  in  proportion  as  they  destroy  these 
leaves.  The  owners  of  such  orchards  seldom  disturb  these  caterpillars,  and  yet  they 
complain  of  the  premature  decay  of  their  trees,  and  tell  you  that  raising  Apples  does 
not  pay. 

The  Apple  and  Quince  trees  have  no  greater  enemy  than  the  Apple-tree  Borer. 
One  whose  attention  has  never  been  called  to  the  signs  of  the  depredations  of  this 
insect  will  not  suspect  its  existence  till  too  late ;  while  others  who  have  investigated 
it  carefully,  will  know  its  presence  in  an  orchard  by  the  appearance  of  the  trees,  even 
while  passing  them  rapidly  in  a  train  of  cars.  This  enemy  is  often  brought  in  the 
young  trees  from  the  nursery.  It  is  three  years  in  coming  to  maturity,  and  increases 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

slowly  from  such  small  beginnings.  Young  vigorous  trees  seem  to  resist  for 
years,  but  as  they  begin  to  bear  fruit  the  enemy  increases  faster  than  the  growth 
of  the  tree,  and  the  orchard  dies. 

The  Peach  worm  feeds  upon  the  inner  bark,  near  the  ground,  each  worm  cutting 
off  the  connexion  between  the  top  and  root  of  the  tree  to  the  extent  of  one  or  two 
inches.  This  insect  is  an  annual ;  the  next  year's  crop  of  worms  will  probably  girdle 
that  tree  all  round.  The  Peach-grower  complains  of  the  premature  decay  of  his 
orchards,  and  says  that  peach  trees  are  too  short-lived  to  be  profitable.  Other  cul- 
tivators understand  this  enemy,  and  "  worm  "  their  trees  carefully,  but  will  buy  their 
stock  from  nurserymen  who  plant  pits  or  use  buds  from  trees  diseased  with  the  "Yel- 
lows." And  they  complain,  too,  of  premature  decay,  and  that  a  second  crop  of  trees 
will  not  grow  upon  the  same  ground. 

The  Black  Knot  on  Plum  and  Cherry  trees  is  another  increasing  evil. 

The  Bark  Louse  or  scale  insect,  found  on  both  Apple  and  Pear  trees,  insignificant 
as  it  appears,  often  causes  the  speedy  decay  of  orchards. 

All  the  above  insect  enemies  of  fruit  trees,  as  well  as  most  of  those  of  the  fruits 
themselves,  are  manageable — can  be  subjected  to  our  control.  The  man  who  permits  them 
to  increase  and  multiply,  not  only  has  no  right  to  complain,  but  is  a  nuisance  in  his 
neighborhood,  and  should  be  treated  as  other  nuisances  are,  that  the  public  may  be 
protected. 

There  are  many  other  insect  enemies  quite  serious  at  times,  and  not  within  the 
reach  of  our  control,  but  most  of  them  are  transient  evils.  They  are  under  the  influ- 
ence of  checks  wonderfully  ordered  for  our  protection.  Some  are  brought  to  a 
speedy  end  by  vicissitudes  of  weather.  Birds  come  in  flocks  just  at  the  right  time 
for  the  destruction  of  others.  Still  more  are  subdued  by  insect  parasites. 

We  import  fruits  of  southern  latitudes  in  large  quantities.  Do  we  export  ours 
to  a  corresponding  extent  ?  Can  we,  when  oranges  in  New  York  cost  less  than 
apples  ? 

The  preservation  of  fruits  has  long  claimed  much  attention.  They  are  wanted 
throughout  the  year.  Men  of  wealth  expend  large  sums  in  forcing-houses  ;  artificial 
climates  are  thus  created,  that  fresh  fruits  may  be  had  out  of  season.  People  of  mode- 
rate means  dry  and  preserve  them.  Canning  has  lately  been  adopted  to  advantage, 
giving  us  in  winter  an  approximating  taste  of  the  fruit  luxuries  of  summer.  Many 
attempts  have  been  made  to  retard  decay  by  the  use  of  ice,  but  the  fruits  soon  lose 
their  natural  flavor.  There  are  said  to  be  apples  that  will  keep  throughout  the  year.  * 
Many  of  the  Russets  will  look  like  Apples  till  the  next  summer.  A  Northern  Spy 
will  still  be  good  in  April,  but  after  that  we  must  wait  for  Strawberries. 

Most  persevering  efforts  have  been  made  for  many  years  to  obtain  winter  Pears. 
Some  have  been  found  that  seemed  to  promise  to  be  successful,  but  these  have  gene- 
•  rally  failed ;  and  the  best  cultivators  now  have  little  expectation  of  being  able  to 
carry  this  superb  fruit  later  than  December. 

I  have  lately  heard  Mr.  Nice,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  explain  his  plan  of  construct- 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

ing  houses  for  keeping  fruit,  and  have  eaten  freely  of  grapes  and  apples  kept  in  one 
of  these  houses.  The  grapes  had  the  same  color,  the  same  flavor,  and  almost  the 
freshness  of  stem  of  well  ripened  Catawbas  in  their  season.  It  seemed  like  eating 
them  fresh  from  the  vines  in  the  spring  instead  of  fall — April  in  place  of  October.  A 
great  variety  of  both  fall  and  winter  Apples  were  submitted  for  examination  and 
tasting.  Autumn  apples  were  autumn  apples  still,  and  winter  apples  were  not  yet 
ripe. 

Mr.  N.  says  he  has  succeeded  with  all  the  fruits  he  has  yet  tried,  except  the 
Peach ;  with  that  he  fails — probably  from  some  influence  of  the  down. 

This  manner  of  retarding  decay  appears  to  be  founded  upon  correct  principles  of 
science,  and  has  been  perseveringly  tested  for  several  years.  It  seems  to  promise  what 
we  all  want,  good  fresh  fruit  for  every  day  in  the  year. 

The  preceding  observations  are  intended  to  show — 

1st.  That  the  cultivation  of  fruit  in  our  country  is  not  so  successful  as  it  should 
be. 

2d.  That  much  more  fruit  is  wanted  than  is  likely  to  be  raised,  without  some 
change  of  management. 

3d.  That  the  comparative  failure  of  fruit  is  not  owing  to  defects  of  soil. 

4th.  That  all  fruit  trees  will  grow  well  in  all  parts  of  our  country,  on  land  that 
will  produce  good  crops  of  anything  else. 

5th.  That  if  successful  plans  of  keeping  fruit  sound  and  fresh  should  be  gene- 
rally introduced,  the  quantity  wanted  will  be  greatly  increased. 

6th.  That  a  foreign  demand  would  be  found  for  any  superabundance. 

As  to  the  situation  of  orchards,  no  fruit  trees  should  ever  be  planted  on  low  wet 
ground.  A  western  exposure,  with  protection  from  the  morning  sun,  is  best. 

Trees  whose  buds  are  liable  to  be  killed  by  the  severe  cold  of  winter,  or  the 
blossoms  to  come  out  early  in  the  spring,  should  be  planted  in  elevated  situations. 
Plum  trees  grow  best,  and  the  fruit  is  generally  finer,  on  clay  soils,  but  light  sandy 
lands  are  better  for  Peaches. 

The  health  of  your  trees  and  your  crops  of  frvit  will  depend  upon  hmu  successful  you  are 
in  subduing  the  Insect  Enemies.  If  they  are  conquered,  all  who  plant  trees  ami  tiuuuigc  them 
•with  reasonable  care  can  have  fruit. 

As  it  has  been  the  wish  of  the  author  to  avoid  the  use  of  scientific  terms,  he  has 
as  far  as  possible  confined  himself  to  language  that  will  be  understood  by  all  readers. 
But  some  explanations  are  necessary.  The  word  Insect  signifies  in  sect/mis.  Most 
insects,  except  spiders,  are  in  three  sections.  They  have  six  legs  and  two  feelers  or 
antenna.  The  young  of  insects,  as  caterpillars  and  grubs,  are  often  called  worms, 
but  improperly.  Worms,  or  vermes,  are  never  insects. 

The  science  that  treats  of  insects  is  called  Entomology,  and  this,  like  other  sciences, 
has  the  various  species  classified  and  arranged  to  facilitate  their  study.  The  primary 


INTRODUCTION.  XVII 

division  is  into  Orders.  The  insects  spoken  of  in  this  volume  belong  to  the  two 
most  important  of  these  orders — the  Coleoptera,  or  Beetles,  and  the  Lepidoptera,  or  But- 
terflies. Nearly  all  the  other  enemies  of  Fruit  and  Fruit  trees  are  included  in  these 
orders. 

There  are  four  stages  in  the  lives  of  insects :  the  egg,  larva,  pupa,  and  imago. 
The  word  larva  means  mask.  That  is,  the  larva  is  a  masked  condition  of  the  future 
butterfly.  This  word,  larva,  is  commonly  used  to  signify  the  embryo  condition  of 
insects  generally ;  but  in  this  work  I  have  chosen  to  confine  it  exclusively  to  the 
Lepidoptera,  and  shall  call  the  young  of  other  Orders  by  other  terms.  Embryo  bee- 
tles will  be  called  grubs.  The  larva  or  caterpillar  stage  of  the  Lepidoptera,  and  the 
grub  of  the  Coleoptera,  is  the  period  of  their  lives  when  they  do  the  chief  injury. 
Pupa  means  the  chrysalis  stage — the  period  of  transformation  from  the  embryo  to  the 
imago  or  image — the  perfect  insect. 

The  word  Moth  will  often  occur  in  a  work  like  this,  and  may  lead  to  confusion 
if  not  explained.  The  difference  between  a  moth  and  a  butterfly  is,  that  the  latter 
flies  by  daylight,  the  moth  at  night.  In  other  words,  the  butterflies  are  the  diurnal, 
the  moths  the  nocturnal  Lepidoptera.  Butterflies  and  moths  may  be  known  from 
each  other  by  the  difference  of  the  antennae ;  the  former  having  little  knobs  on  the 
ends  of  their  feelers,  and  the  latter  being  without  them. 

This  work  is  without  plan  as.  a  scientific  book.  Although  treating  of  insects,  it 
does  not  arrange  them  into  orders,  classes,  or  families,  but  only  discusses  a  few 
species,  chiefly  in  the  order  of  their  importance  as  enemies  of  fruit  and  fruit  trees. 

The  object  of  the  Author  has  been  to  make  a  book  to  meet  the  wants  of  the 
practical  man,  who  has  but  little  time  for  the  study  of  any  subject  except  his  business, 
and  least  of  all,  a  science  involving,  as  Entomology  does,  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
species.  To  make  such  a  work  intelligible,  illustrations  addressed  to  the  eye  are  a 
necessity.  The  fruit-grower  should  be  able  to  identify  his  insect  enemy  positively 
when  he  sees  it — there  should  be  no  guessing.  The  Curculio  and  Lady-bug,  for 
instance,  are  both  beetles ;  both  are  found  upon  the  same  trees ;  they  will  often  fall 
down  together  when  those  trees  are  jarred.  The  one  is  our  worst  enemy,  and  the 
other  one  of  our  best  friends.  I  have  known  people  kill  the  friend  and  overlook 
the  enemy. 

I  have  been  studying  these  enemies  for  many  years.  At  first  it  was  an  investi- 
gation made  necessary  for  the  protection  of  my  own  crops ;  and  that  experience 
painfully  taught  me  knowledge  that  I  had  not  been  able  to  find  either  in  books  or 
cabinets.  The  interest  thus  excited  has  been  increased  by  the  reading  of  such  valu- 
able works  as  those  of  Kirby  and  Spence,  Huber,  Latreille,  Say,  Harris,  Fitch,  and 
many  others.  From  this  reading  and  personal  experience,  I  am  satisfied  that  the 
interests  of  Fruit-growers  would  be  promoted  if  all  the  practical  knowledge  on  this 
subject  could  be  gathered  into  a  separate  work,  and  I  have  felt  that  it  was  a  duty  to 
make  a  beginning  by  contributing  my  portion  towards  a  better  understanding  of  this 
difficult  subject 


XVIII  INTRODUCTION. 

When  I  assert  that  any  individual  can  subdue  his  fruit  enemies  if  he  chooses,  I 
speak  from  my  own  positive  knowledge ;  and  although  I  do  not  wish  to  be  under- 
stood to  say  that  the  instructions  contained  in  this  book  are  the  best,  I  do  wish  to  be 
understood  to  say,  that  some  general  plan  of  treatment  should  be  adopted.  An  indi- 
vidual who  resolutely  determines  to  do  it  can  save  his  fruits;  but  if  all  his  neighbors 
for  miles  round  shall  act  with  him  in  carrying  out  the  same  instructions,  the  work  of 
each  will  be  less  even  the  first  year,  and  all  subsequent  seasons  will  be  comparatively 
nothing.  How  such  instructions  are  to  be  generally  disseminated  or  such  associations 
to  be  formed,  it  is  not  for  an  author  to  determine. 

The  next  portion  of  this  work,  both  the  text  and  plates  of  which  are  in  an 
advanced  stage  of  preparation,  will  treat  of  the  various  Caterpillars  injurious  to  Fruit 
trees  and  Grape  vines.  But  the  publication  of  an  illustrated  work  like  this  is  attended 
with  so  much  expense  that  it  is  deemed  advisable  to  await  the  verdict  of  the  fruit- 
growing public  before  completing  another  part.  If  the  public  show  by  the  reception 
of  the  present  volume  that  more  is  wanted,  both  author  and  publisher  will  be  encou- 
raged to  bring  it  out  at  an  early  period. 

NEWARK,  N.  J.,  April  15,  1865. 


THE      CURCULIO. 


PLATE  I.  (Frontispiece.) 

1.  The  Promise. 

2,  3,  4.   The   Fulfilment  as  it  should  be. 

5.  The  Fulfilment  as  it  is. 

6.  The  Cause  of  the  Difference. 

THE  Frontispiece  of  a  book  is  generally  intended  to  be  looked  at  only.  This 
one,  it  carefully  studied,  will  convey  an  impression  of  the  importance  of  one  of  the 
insect  enemies  that  could  hardly  be  realized  by  any  arrangement  of  words. 

Fig.  i  represents  a  cluster  of  the  blossoms  of  the  Apricot.  This  is  the 
earliest  of  the  fruit  trees  to  bloom ;  the  first  evidence  that  Spring  has  really  come. 
Few  of  the  fruit  blossoms  are  so  beautiful  as  these,  but  like  many  others  of  the  fair 
promises  of  this  world,  they  are  not  always  kept  inviolate. 

Fig.  2  is  a  Pond's  Seedling  Plum ;  see  how  large  it  is ;  look  at  the  bloom ; 
think  how  it  would  taste.  The  tree  grows  large  and  strong ;  bears  full  crops.  Any 
one  can  have  plenty  of  such  plums  if  he  will  master  the  Curculio.  There  are 
more  than  fifty  other  kinds,  all  good,  to  choose  from.  The  Plum  tree  is  hardy;  it 
will  grow  well  in  every  part  of  our  country,  on  every  soil ;  no  Borer  at  the  root ;  no 
Yellows ;  no  Curled  Leaf.  The  buds  are  seldom  killed  with  the  severe  cold  of  the 
winter,  and  the  blossoms  not  often  nipped  with  late  frosts: 

Look  at  Fig.  3,  an  Apricot — that  superb  fruit.  Who  eats  an  apricot  *?  Look 
at  it  again,  and  resolve  to  have  some.  This  fruit  ripens  during  the  last  of  July  and 
early  in  August,  between  the  Berries  and  the  Peaches. 

Fig.  4  is  a  Nectarine,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  fruits.  Many  kinds  are 
delicious.  The  tree  is  closely  allied  to  the  Peach,  growing  where  it  will.  Get  it 
clear  of  the  taint  of  the  Yellows,  and  keep  out  the  Borers,  and  the  Curculio  is  the 
only  enemy  to  prevent  your  having  the  fruit  in  abundance.  Think  of  such  orna- 


2O  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

ments  in  your  garden,  such  embellishments  to  your  table,  such  presents  for  your 
friends,  and  te  cowards  no  longer.  We  have  but  one  life  to  live  in  this  world  ;  let  us 
enjoy  it ;  let  us  feast  our  eyes  on  such  beauties ;  let  us  indulge  our  appetites  on  such 
luxuries — they  are  innocent.  We  were  created  with  dominion,  and  have  a  right  to 
subdue  the  Curculio,  the  only  enemy  that  stands  between  these  fruits  and  us.  It 
will  be  hard  to  conquer,  undoubtedly,  but  we  can  do  it.  Then  let  us  all  join  hands, 
and  pledge  ourselves  to  do  both,  and  thus  try  to  make  the  world  what  it  should  be. 

Fig.  5  represents  the  work  of  the  Curculio. 

Fig.  6  is  the  Curculio  itself. 


PLATE  tt 


THE    CURCULIO. 


PLATE     II* 

i.  Pear,  punctured  May  23,  1863. 

z.  Curculio  cutting  the  crescent. 

3.  The  position  of  the  Curculio  when  making  the  cavity  for  the  reception  of  the  egg. 

4.  Plum.     The  first  mark,  May  25,  1863. 

5.  Cherry.     The  first  mark,  May  25,  1863. 

6.  Peach.     The  first  mark,  May  28,  1863. 

7.  Apple.     The  first  mark,  June  i,  1863. 

8.  Apple  with  two  perfect  punctures,  and  others  imperfect. 

9.  Apple.     From  a  bottle  containing  a  colony  of  Curculios. 
10.  Siberian  Crab- Apple.     Marked  June  10,  1863. 

THAT  part  of  the  season  between  May  i8th  and  June  loth,  the  period  included 
in  the  illustrations  on  this  Plate,  is  an  important  time  to  the  fruit-grower  who  has 
determined  to  save  his  crops  from  the  Curculio. 

All  kinds  of  Pears  and  Cherries  will  not  be  large  enough  for  the  Curculio's 
operations  at  these  dates,  and  most  of  the  Plums  will  be  a  day  or  two  later. 

Apricots  will  generally  be  from  a  week  to  ten  days  earlier  than  any  other  fruit, 
and  this  crop  will  often  be  attacked  by  the  Curculio  while  other  kinds  of  fruit  trees 
are  still  in  blossom. 

Occasionally  there  will  be  a  season  when  the  blossoms  on  nearly  all  fruit  trees 
will  burst  together ;  the  Apricot,  Pear,  Plum,  Cherry,  Nectarine,  and  Peach,  present- 
ing their  beautiful  promises  at  the  same  time. 

In  this  case,  the  young  Fruits  will  come  so  nearly  together  as  to  give  the  Curcu- 
lio its  choice,  and  the  Nectarine  will  be  chosen.  The  reason  why  the  Apricot  is  so 
generally  destroyed  by  the  Curculio,  is  probably  owing  to  the  fact  of  its  being,  for 
several  days,  the  only  fruit  large  enough  for  its  use. 

*  The  original  paintings  of  the  illustrations  of  the  Curculio  were  made  in  the  years  1863  and  1864,  at 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  in  the  latitude  of  40°  45'.  By  a  reference  to  the  diaries  of  these  two  years,  there 
appears  a  difference  of  five  days  in  the  time  of  the  first  punctures  by  the  Curculio  in  the  same  fruits.  In 
1863  it  was  May  23d,  in  1864  it  was  May  i8th. 


22  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

If  all  the  fruits  were  of  the  proper  size  at  the  same  time,  they  might  be  placed 
in  the  following  order  as  to  their  liability  to  be  attacked  by  the  Curculio :  Nectarine, 
Plum,  Apricot,  Apple,  Pear,  Quince.  Some  varieties  of  the  different  kinds  are  pre- 
ferred to  others.  The  Green  Gage,  Washington,  and  Egg  Plum  will  suffer  more 
than  the  Prunes,  Damsons,  and  many  of  the  common  kinds.  The  earliest 
Apples,  as  the  Sweet  Bough  and  Early  Harvest,  will  be  more  injured  than  later 
kinds. 

The  black  knot,  so  often  found  on  Plum  and  Cherry  trees,  is  used  freely  by  the 
Curculio.  These  knots  are  often  several  days  in  advance  of  the  young  fruit,  and 
the  female  Curculio  has  been  known  to  exhaust  her  supply  of  eggs  in  these  knots 
before  the  young  cherries  or  plums  on  the  same  trees  were  fully  formed. 

Figure  2  shows  the  position  of  the  Curculio  when  cutting  the  semicircle  or 
crescent-shaped  mark.  This  is  made  by  the  end  of  the  proboscis,  and  merely 
goes  through  the  skin.  This  part  of  the  process,  while  the  fruit  is  young  and 
tender,  is  soon  finished,  sometimes  not  taking  more  than  two  or  three  minutes. 

Fig.  3  shows  her  position  in  the  next  part  of  the  work.  From  the  centre  of  the 
concave  part  of  the  crescent,  the  proboscis  is  introduced  under  this  cut  skin,  and 
there  it  slowly  works,  cutting  its  way  until  it  can  reach  no  further. 

The  end  of  this  cell  or  cavity  is  now  dug  out  or  enlarged,  to  make  it  a  suitable 

• 

receptacle  for  the  destined  egg.  The  insect  has  an  instinct  which  teaches  her  that 
the  surroundings  of  this  cavity  must  be  so  deadened  that  no  subsequent  growth  of 
the  fruit  at  this  part  shall  press  upon  that  delicate  egg  and  crush  it.  The  seventeen- 
year  Locust  arranges  her  eggs  crosswise  in  cells  made  in  the  twigs  of  growing  wood ; 
but  on  one  side  of  each  cell  the  wood  is  so  comminuted  by  the  boring  instrument 
of  the  female  Locust  that  it  never  recovers ;  and  although  the  twig  generally  conti- 
nues to  grow,  this  wounded  part  will  not  be  grown  over  until  long  after  the  eggs 
have  hatched.  Were  it  not  for  this  instinctive  foresight  of  the  necessity  of  so  splin- 
tering up  the  wood  on  a  side  of  the  cavity  where  one  end  of  these  oblong  eggs  rests, 
that  it  would  yield  to  the  pressure  from  the  other,  in  the  growth  of  two  months, 
these  eggs  must  be  broken.  The  Curculio  probably  has  a  similar  instinctive  fore- 
sight. 

The  preparation  of  this  cell  is  much  the  most  tedious  part  of  the  process, 
usually  taking  about  fifteen  minutes,  though  sometimes  half  an  hour.  During  most 


THE      CURCULIO. 


of  this  time  the  Curculio  will  be  found  in  this  pitching  position,  and  with  her  pro- 
boscis entirely  buried ;  looking  as  the  woodcock  does  when  boring  for  food  in  the 
soft  ground.  This  cavity  finished,  she  turns  round  and  deposits  an  egg  at  its  orifice ; 
then  assuming  the  former  position,  very  quietly  pushes  that  egg  with  her  proboscis  to 
its  destined  place.  Next,  the  crescent-shaped  cut  is  plastered  up  with  a  gummy  sub- 
stance that  holds  the  cut  edges  together  for  the  time  being;  probably  an  instinctive 
precaution  against  the  weather  or  insect  enemies  that  might  endanger  the  safety  of 
that  egg.  The  female  Pea-Bug  deposits  her  egg  in  a  slight  wound  in  the  pea-pod, 
and  then  covers  it  over  with  a  tenacious  paste. 

Fig.  8  is  intended  to  show  an  Apple  with  two  Curculio  marks  perfected,  and 
several  others  partly  finished.  Some  writers  have  said  that  the  Curculio  never  depo- 
sits more  than  one  egg  in  a  fruit ;  but  this  is  a  mistake.  Two  or  more  grubs  will 
often  be  found ;  but  these  instances  of  so  many  marks  so  early  in  the  season  are 
rare  except  in  the  apple,  and,  if  examined,  most  of  them  will  be  found  unfinished 
and  containing  no  eggs. 

Those  parasitic  insects  that  introduce  their  eggs  into  the  living  bodies  of 
other  insects,  graduate  the  number  so  deposited  according  to  the  quantity  of 
food  the  body  of  that  insect  will  afford  the  young  from  those  eggs,  so  that  each 
shall  have  enough  to  bring  it  to  full  maturity.  The  instinct  that  teaches  this 
knowledge  is  unerring.  A  large  Ichneumon  Fly  will  not  deposit  an  egg  in  a 
caterpillar  too  small  to  afford  the  requisite  amount  of  food,  but  she  will  select 
one  that  will  just  yield  enough,  and  none  to  spare.  If  the  caterpillar  is  of  such 
a  size  as  to  feed  two,  three,  or  more,  two,  three,  or  more  eggs  will  be  deposited 
in  it. 

The  Curculio  probably  has  a  similar  instinct.  A  young  apple  or  peach,  dry 
and  withered,  and  not  larger  than  a  hazel-nut,  will  be  found  containing  the  grub  of 
a  Curculio  full  grown,  plump,  and  active,  with  no  part  of  that  apple  or  peach  left 
that  could  be  used  for  fruit;  but  it  would  be  hard  to  find  two  half-grown  grubs  in 
such  a  fruit,  and  with  nothing  more  to  eat. 

Fig.  Q  is  an  Apple  that  was  left  some  time  in  a  bottle  with  a  colony  of  Curcu- 
lios,  and  the  number  of  punctures  shows  that  instinct  ceases  to  be  a  guide  under 
such  circumstances.  This  apple  was  one  of  three  that  had  been  coated  over  with 
the  "  whale-oil  soap  "  mixture,  which,  with  three  other  apples  taken  fresh  from 


24  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

the  tree,  was  given  to  these  Curculios  at  the  same  time,  to  test  whether  they  would 
make  any  distinction.  But  none  could  be  observed.  All  were  taken  with  the 
same  avidity,  and  each  was  equally  punctured. 

Fig.  10  shows  that  even  the  Crab  Apple  does  not  escape  the  Curculio.  I  have 
seen  the  unmistakable  crescent-shaped  mark  of  this  insect  on  that  most  minute  of 
apples,  the  Currant  Crab. 

Figs.  4,  5,  6,  7,  and  10,  of  this  Plate  give  good  representations  of  the  mark 
of  the  Curculio,  where  the  entire  process  has  been  completed,  and  the  egg  has  been 
secured.  When  first  made  it  is  not  so  distinct,  but  it  soon  becomes  discolored, 
presenting  this  brown  appearance.  There  will  often  be  a  slight  convex  elevation 
over  the  egg,  and  a  gentle  pressure  on  that  spot  with  the  thumb-nail  will  break  it. 
A  very  sharp  sense  of  hearing  will  sometimes  detect  the  snap. 


PLATK  HI 


THE    CURCULIO. 


PLATE     III. 

1.  Plum,  June  3,     Egg  of  Curculio  hatched,  and  the  young  grub  eating  its  way. 

2.  Same  Plum,  June  3.     A  slice  cut  off,  exposing  the  passage-way  of  the  grub. 
a.  The  grub,  the  natural  size  at  this  date. 

3.  Green  Gage,  June  14th.     Several  Curculio  marks.     The  globules  of  gum  indicate  that  the  eggs  have 

been  hatched. 

4.  Peach,  June  14.     The  particles  of  gum  here  indicate  the  same  thing  as  in  the  Plum,  Figure  3. 

5.  Washington  or  Bolmar  Plum,  June  zoth.     Fruit  fallen,  and  the  grub  emerged  from  hole  at  a. 

6.  Peach,  June  24.     On  the  ground,  a  grub  having  just  escaped. 

7.  Pear,  June  24.     Showing  blemishes  from  punctures  of  the  Curculio. 

8.  Perfect  Cherry,  June  25. 

9.  External  appearance  of  Cherry  containing  a  grub  of  the  Curculio  when  nearly  full  grown. 
10.  The  same  Cherry  when  opened. 

9  and  10.  The  kinds  of  Cherries  which  birds  prefer. 

THE  dark  line  leading  from  the  puncture  in  Fig.  l ,  is  a  common  appearance  in 
the  progress  of  the  Curculio,  but  not  universal.  It  indicates  unmistakably  the 
destruction  of  the  Plum. 

Fig.  2  shows  that  the  young  grub  does  not  proceed  at  once  towards  the  centre 
of  the  plum,  but  soon  after  this  it  will  be  found  feeding  round,  or  in  the  pit  itself 

The  globules  of  gum  on  Figs.  3  and  4  are  proof  positive  that  nothing  can  save 
such  fruits.  Apples  also  sometimes  show  gummy  exudations  from  the  wounds  made 
by  the  Curculio,  but  this  gum  does  not  become  so  concreted  as  in  the  plum  and 
peach,  remaining  soft  and  sticky. 

Peach-growers  will  recognise  Fig.  6  as  a  kind  of  peach  too  often  met  with 
under  their  trees  about  the  last  of  June  and  the  early  part  of  July. 

Fig.  7  represents  a  very  common  appearance  of  the  pear. 

In  a  plantation  of  Pear  trees  standing  by  the  side  of  an  old  neglected  Apple 
orchard,  I  have  caught  several  hundred  Curculios  in  less  than  an  hour,  by  jarring 
thirty  or  forty  trees.  But  as  soon  as  the  neighboring  apples  were  large  enough  the 
pears  would  be  deserted.  The  Pear,  though  often  injured,  suffers  less  from  this 


PLATE  JY. 


THE    CURCULIO.  2Q 


PLATE    IV. 

1.  The  Plum,  June  9,  showing  the  appearance  when  the  egg  of  the  Curculio  has  been  taken  out. 

2.  The  German  Prune  (Quetsche),  July  1 8,  with  two  Curculio  marks  on  the  neck,  dried  up. 

3.  The  Fellenberg  Prune,  ripe  September  15. 

4.  The  Green  Gage  as  it  should  be,  September  i. 

5.  The  Green  Gage,  July  20,  showing  the  origin  of  the  rot. 

6.  Its  further  progress,  August  7. 

7.  Nectar,  in  New  Jersey,  September  i.     Rochester,  September  15. 

THIS  Plate  indicates  the  condition  of  some  of  the  Plums  later  in  the  season. 
Fig.  i  shows  a  wound  made  by  taking  out  the  egg  of  the  Curculio  with  the  nail  of 
the  little  finger.  This  is,  however,  too  large  an  instrument  for  so  delicate  an  opera- 
tion, and  leaves  an  unnecessary  scar.  Apricots,  Nectarines,  and  Plums  can  be  saved 
from  destruction  in  this  manner. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  season,  especially  if  the  weather  should  be  cloudy  and 
cold,  it  will  often  be  a  week  or  ten  days  before  this  egg  hatches ;  but  in  very  hot 
weather  the  young  grub  will  escape  in  four  or  five  days.  All  attempts  to  save  the 
fruit  after  the  egg  is  hatched  will  be  useless. 

Those  who  have  young  fruit  of  valuable  sorts  not  yet  tested  by  the  tasting  pro- 
cess, will  be  anxious  that  the  first  crop  shall  come  to  maturity ;  and  to  know  what  to 
do  when  all  have  been  punctured  by  the  Curculio,  will  be  useful  information.  The 
best  instrument  I  have  found  for  this  delicate  operation  is  a  common  quill  tooth-pick 
slightly  rounded  at  the  point,  and  pared  to  a  cutting  edge.  This  must  be  insinuated 
under  the  concave  side  of  the  crescent-shaped  mark,  so  as  to  turn  over  the  triangular 
portion  of  skin  lying  between  the  horns  of  the  crescent  and  the  end  of  the  tube  where 
the  egg  is  deposited.  The  egg — a  white  round  speck — will  sometimes  be  exposed, 
and  a  very  sharp  eye  will  detect  it  without  the  assistance  of  a  glass ;  but  generally  it 
will  be  so  coated  with  a  covering  of  the  pulp  of  the  fruit  as  to  be  invisible.  Take 
off  this  speck  of  skin,  egg  and  all.  If  properly  done  the  fruit  will  come  to  maturity, 
showing  scarcely  a  blemish. 


3<D  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

I  have  often  carried  such  patients  as  these  safely  through  a  number  of  these 
otherwise  fatal  wounds.  Retired  gentlemen  of  leisure,  who  become  amateur  fruit- 
growers, can  find  amusement  in  this  manner  of  fighting  the  Turk ;  and  although 
rather  a  tedious  operation,  it  is  much  better  than  cutting  down  the  trees,  or  swearing 
at  the  Curculio  as  some  do. 

Figs.  2  and  3  are  German  Prunes,  which  are  now  becoming  more  popular  than 
other  Plums,  from  an  impression  that  they  are  less  liable  to  be  attacked  by  the 
Curculio. 

Fig.  2  represents  a  Prune  with  two  Curculio  marks  on  the  neck,  both  dried  up 
and  harmless.  This  is  a  very  common  appearance  of  prunes  late  in  the  season. 
Why  the  Curculio  so  generally  chooses  the  neck  of  this  class  of  plums,  or  why  the 
egg  so  often  fails,  I  have  not  seen  satisfactorily  accounted  for.  This  is  an  inducement 
for  cultivating  the  Prunes  in  preference  to  other  Plums,  to  those  who  do  not  intend 
to  conquer  the  Curculio. 

Fig.  3  is  the  Fellenberg  Prune,  ripe  the  middle  of  September.  Some  others  are 
superior  in  flavor,  and  some  ripen  so  late  in  the  fall  as  to  be  more  valuable  on  that 
account.  When  the  Curculio  shall  be  disposed  of,  and  plums  recovered  from  among 
the  lost  good  things,  many  of  the  prunes  will  become  favorite  fruits. 

Fig.  4,  in  this  Plate,  is  the  Green  Gage — the  good  old  Reine  Claude. 

Figs.  5  and  6  show  what  it  becomes  under  the  management  of  the  Curculio. 

Fig.  7.  The  same,  when  ready  for  the  palate ;  and  the  palate  probably  never 
receives  a  pleasanter  sensation.  Had  our  Mother  Eve  been  tempted  with  such  fruit 
instead  of  apples,  when  she  "  brought  sin  into  the  world,  and  all  our  woe,"  she  would 
have  been  more  excusable. 


I'l.ATK.V. 


THE    CURCULIO. 


PLATE  V. 

1.  The  Maiden's  Blush  Apple,  Oct.  22,  about  half  size,  showing  several  Curculio  marks,  the  largest  in 

shape  of  a  shield. 

2.  A  section  of  the  same,  cut  through  some  of  these  marks,  and  showing  no  injury  under  the  skin. 

3.  An  Apple,  Oct.  22,  greatly  deformed  by  the  punctures  of  the  Curculio. 

4.  A  section  of  Fig.  3.     The  four  dark  lines  indicate  the  course  of  the  young  grubs  of  the  Curculio. 

5.  An  early  Peach,  Aug.  5.     The  first  bite. 

6.  Crawford's  Late,  Oct.  4th. 

THIS  Plate  shows  the  progress  of  the  Curculio's  operations  upon  Apples  and 
Peaches. 

Figs,  i  and  2  are  intended  to  show  that  many  of"  the  punctures  made  by  the 
Curculio  upon  apples  do  no  serious  injury — merely  leaving  blemishes  only  skin 
deep.  These  scars  are  of  many  forms,  but  the  most  common  is  in  the  shape  of  a 
shield,  like  the  largest  mark  in  Fig.  i.  This  shield  varies  greatly  in  size  and  shape. 
If  the  puncture  has  been  made  on  a  large  kind  of  apple  very  early  in  the  season,  it 
will  often  expand  with  the  growth  of  the  fruit  till  it  becomes  two  or  three  times  the 
size  of  the  one  in  the  Figure.  Generally  the  shield-shaped  mark  will  be  wider  and 
shorter  than  here  represented. 

In  nearly  all  of  these  wounds,  of  whatever  shape,  there  may  be  seen  a  little  spot 
darker  colored  than  other  parts,  indicating  where  the  egg  was  originally  deposited. 
More  or  less  of  these  marks  can  be  seen  on  most  of  even  the  best  Apples  in  the 
markets  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  both  summer  and  winter,  no  matter  from 
what  part  of  the  country  they  may  have  come. 

Fig.  3  represents  what  is  often  called  the  '•'•gnarly"  fruit.  This  deformity  is 
caused  chiefly  by  the  Curculio.  It  is  very  often  seen  in  the  orchard,  and  is  espe- 
cially common  at  cider  mills. 

Fig.  4  is  a  section  of  the  same,  showing  the  passage-ways  of  the  young  grubs 
towards  the  centre  of  the  apple.  When  one  of  these  roads  is  cut  through  the 
centre,  it  will  look  very  much  as  represented  in  this  Figure ;  but  if  the  knife  should 


gj  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

pass  a  little  to  one  side  of  the  centre,  it  will  be  of  a  green  or  yellow-green  color,  and 
much  narrower,  looking  as  if  it  had  acted  as  a  cord,  tying  the  centre  and  circumfe- 
rence of  the  apple  together,  and  preventing  its  expansion  in  that  direction,  and  thus 
causing  the  depression.  Apples,  when  wounded  in  this  way,  are  not  destroyed,  only 
deformed.  They  usually  hang  on  the  trees  to  maturity.  The  grub,  from  some 
cause  or  other,  perishes  before  reaching  the  vital  part.  This  was  the  condition  of  the 
apple  crop  in  large  sections  of  the  country  in  1 864.  There  had  been  a  period  of 
nearly  six  weeks  in  July  and  August  of  excessively  hot  and  dry  weather,  after  which 
very  few  living  grubs  of  the  Curculio  could  be  found.  The  marks,  as  seen  in  this 
Figure,  where  they  had  gone  just  so  far,  were  very  numerous. 

We  sometimes  encounter  the  grub  of  the  Curculio  in  early  peaches,  as  we  do  in 
cherries,  apricots,  and  early  plums. 

Fig.  6  was  taken  from  a  tree  of  the  Crawford's'  Late  at  the  time  the  sound  fruit 
was  ripe.  The  puncture  of  the  Curculio  had  caused  it  to  rot.  Gum  had  exuded 
from  near  the  stem,  sticking  it  fast  to  the  twig.  Such  specimens  of  fruit,  still  more 
dried  up  and  withered,  may  be  seen  on  Plum,  Peach,  Nectarine,  and  Apricot  trees, 
often  hanging  on  all  winter. 

Previous  to  the  Rebellion,  cherries,  apricots,  early  apples,  and  peaches,  were 
brought  to  the  New  York  market  from  many  of  the  Southern  States,  often  from  as 
far  south  as  Georgia.  If  there  had  been  no  other  evidence  that  the  Curculio  was 
common  in  that  section  of  country,  these  fruits  would  have  settled  the  question. 
Terrible  as  this  pest  is  with  us  and  further  north,  when  the  same  fruits  from  the 
different  sections  were  subjected  to  a  comparison,  the  North  would  seem  to  suffer 
least. 


I'l.ATK  VI 


PLATE    VI. 


1.  Curculio,  nataral 

2.  Curculio,  with  wings  cxpai 
3-   ' 


^urculio,  in  which  they  are  under- 


This  vfK  •:-• 


most  systematic  treatise  on  American  Entomology  is  that  of  Thomas  Say. 
!  to  those  who  study  insects  as  a  science  such  works  a* 
be  made  t: 


New  Yo: 

»  Fabr.  (Rhynchjenus)  Syst,  Eleut. 
•  Curculio  no  i-lerh«t.  Naturs) 

any.  1819. 
predates  on 

R»r 

1 

rv  " 


<-xact  words,  as 


I 


THE    CURCULIO.  33 


PLATE    VI. 

I.   Curculio,  natural  size. 

z.  Curculio,  with  wings  expanded. 

3.  Portion  of  earth,  July  1 6,  with  the  cells  made  by  the  grubs  of  the  Curculio,  in  which  they  are  under- 

going their  transformations. 

4,  5.   Front  and  back  views  of  the  pupa  of  the  Curculio,  July  16,  greatly  enlarged. 

6.  The  Curculio  more  enlarged,  almost  matured,  and  just  ready  to  emerge  from  the  ground.     It  is  now 

of  a  reddish  color. 

7.  The  Curculio  still  more  enlarged,  with  the  wings,  legs,  proboscis,  and  antennz  expanded. 

8.  Shows  the  proboscis,  antennas,  and  lenses  of  the  eye. 

9.  Pea-Bug,  twice  the  natural  size. 

10.  A  species  of  Curculio  often  seen  in  September  and  October.     This  was  figured  from  a  specimen  taken 
from  the  stomach  of  a  Toad. 

THE  most  systematic  treatise  on  American  Entomology  is  that  of  Thomas  Say. 
It  is  purely  scientific,  and  to  those  who  study  insects  as  a  science  such  works  as  this 
become  a  necessity.  But  little  progress  can  be  made  in  a  field  of  investigation  so 
immense  without  systematic  classification.  Entomologists  will  speak  of  Orders, 
Classes,  Families,  Genera,  and  Species,  as  ornithologists  and  botanists  do.  The 
structure  of  a  science  would  be  a  Babel  were  it  not  for  such  a  fixed  language. 

The  following  is  Say's  account  of  the  Curculio.  I  give  it  in  the  exact  words,  as 
taken  from  page  285,  vol.  i.  New  York  edition  of  1 859. 

"  7.  C.  ARGULA  Fabr.  (Rhynchsenus)  Syst.  Eleut. 

"  Curculio  nenuphar  Herbst.  Natursyst. 

"  R.  cerasi  Peck,  Jour.  Mass.  Agr.  Soc.,  Jany.  1819. 

"  This  also  varies  much  in  size,  and  depredates  on  the  plumb  and  peach  and 
other  stone  fruits.  My  kinsman,  the  late  excellent  Wm.  Bartram,  informed  me  that 
it  also  destroys  the  European  Walnut  in  this  country." 

This  conveys  but  a  vague  idea  to  the  farmer  or  fruit-grower  who  has  paid  no 


34  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

• 

attention  to  the  science,  and  will  certainly  not  give  sufficient  information  to  enable 
him  to  save  his  fruit  crops  from  this  terrible  enemy.  My  description  is  addressed  to 
the  eye.  Look  at  the  first  figure  on  this  Plate.  Examine  it  carefully.  That  is  the 
Curculio — the  Plum  Weevil — the  Turk — the  Little  Joker,  that  I  am  making  such  a 
fuss  about. 

The  sad  effects  of  the  Curculio  upon  the  fruits,  as  shown  in  the  preceding 
Plates,  will  prepare  the  reader  to  understand  what  a  terrible  evil  it  is,  and  he  will  be 
"  likely  to  study  this  Plate  with  greater  interest  than  if  it  had  been  the  first  of  the 
series  illustrating  this  insect. 

Of  the  four  hundred  thousand  species  of  insects  known  to  naturalists,  the  Cur- 
culio or  Plum  Weevil  is  the  most  important.  Other  insects  are  often  more  destruc- 
tive for  a  time,  but  their  ravages  are  transient,  most  of  them  being  brought  to  a 
sudden  end  by  natural  causes.  The  Curculio  has  increased  constantly  since  it  was 
first  noticed  by  fruit-growers,  during  the  latter  half  of  the  last  century,  and  is  now 
found  in  nearly  all  the  settled  parts  of  North  America,  except  the  States  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  It  spreads  with  the  settlement  of  the  country,  and  increases  with  the 
multiplication  of  fruit  trees.  It  has  never  yet  been  controlled  in  an  appreciable 
degree  by  human  agencies.  Parasitic  enemies  cannot  reach  it.  Vicissitudes  of 
weather,  except  in  localities  and  for  a  short  time,  have  never  checked  it.  It  is 
marching  on,  "  conquering  and  to  conquer,"  unless  there  shall  be  concerte'd  intelli- 
gence, and  concerted  effort  to  stop  it. 

Almost  every  person  who  owns  a  fruit-tree  suffers  more  or  less  from  this  insect 
enemy.  The  fruit-growers  lose  a  part  of  every  crop  every  year,  and  the  fruit-con- 
sumers get  less  than  half  that  the  same  money  would  buy,  it"  it  were  not  for  the 
Curculio.  As  a  liberal  supply  of  fruit  adds  greatly  to  the  health  and  comfort  of  the 
people  in  all  countries,  but  especially  in  a  climate  so  heated  as  ours,  the  loss  thus 
sustained  is  a  serious  matter. 

We  have  no  data  upon  which  it  would  be  possible  to  calculate  the  amount  of 
damage  caused  every  year  by  this  insidious  enemy,  but  we  may  safely  estimate  it  by 
millions  of  dollars.  A  single  living  Curculio  weighs  a  quarter  of  a  grain,  and  it 
therefore  takes  about  twenty-eight  thousand  to  make  a  pound.  If  we  take  three 
quarter-ounce  vials,  and  put  100  Curculios  in  one,  100  Pea-Bugs  in  another,  and  100 
grains  of  buckwheat  in  the  third,  each  will  appear  about  half  full,  and  they  will  all 


THE    CURCULIO.  35 

look  so  much  alike  in  size  and  color,  that  at  a  short  distance  they  cannot  be  distin- 
guished from  each  other. 

Many  people  think  insects  too  small  to  be  worthy  of  much  attention.  Such 
people  should  consider  the  single  grain  of  wheat,  or  the  individual  rain-drop.  The 
Coral  insect,  in  the  abstract,  is  wonderfully  insignificant,  but  the  Coral  insect  in  the 
concrete  changes  the  channels  and  currents  of  the  ocean,  and  builds  up  islands  from 
the  sea. 

Fig.  i,  in  this  Plate,  represents  the  Curculio,  as  nearly  correct  in  size,  form,  and 
color,  as  can  be  made  in  a  drawing  on  stone.  The  antennae  are  rather  too  heavy,  but 
it  is  difficult  to  get  the  exact  size  of  an  object  so  minute ;  and  the  chest  appears  too 
deep,  but  a  close  examination  will  show  that  this  apparent  disproportion  is  owing 
to  the  position  of  the  upper  part  of  the  fore  leg.  With  these  corrections  under- 
stood, any  one  will  be  able  to  identify  the  living  Curculio  by  comparing  it  with  this 
figure. 

Fig.  2  does  not  represent  the  Curculio  as  seen  flying — that  would  be  difficult — 
but  as  a  dead  one  appears  with  the  wings  and  legs  spread  out. 

Fig.  3  shows  a  portion  of  earth  with  the  young  Curculios  in  their  cells,  under- 
going their  transformations.  This  piece  of  earth  was  taken  from  the  centre  of  a 
flower-pot  that  had  been  filled  two-thirds  full  of  common  garden  mould,  and  on 
which  the  punctured  plums  that  had  fallen  from  a  Green  Gage  tree  had  been  thrown 
every  day  as  they  fell.  The  number  of  cells  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
Plums  thrown  into  the  flower-pot.  I  have  seen  such  earth  almost  as  cellular  as  a 
honey-comb. 

The  effect  of  drought  can  be  tested  readily  by  experiments  of  this  kind.  Place 
one  such  flower-pot  in  a  building,  and  throw  water  on  it  occasionally,  as  it  would  be 
rained  upon  out-of-doors,  and  let  another  remain  perfectly  dry.  The  grubs  in  the 
first  will  come  out  beetles;  in  the  other  they  will  perish  apparently  for  want  of 
moisture.  This  fact  will  have  an  important  bearing  when  We  come  to  consider  the 
effects  of  the  vicissitudes  of  the  weather,  not  only  upon  this  but  upon  many  other 
insects  which  have  a  great  influence  upon  human  affairs. 

The  Plum  crop  fails  for  a  series  of  years,  and  then  for  a  single  season  will  be 
abundant.  I  have  raised  full  crops  of  Nectarines,  Apricots,  and  Plums,  every  year 
for  ten  years  in  succession  ;  but  all  those  crops,  except  one,  were  the  result  of  most 


36  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

persistent  fighting  the  Curculio.  The  year  of  that  one  exception  had  been  preceded 
by  a  local  drought.  For  several  weeks  during  July  and  August  it  had  not  rained  in 
that  neighborhood.  Showers  were  often  threatened,  so  that  farmers  hurried  to  secure 
their  hay  and  grain ;  but  the  rains  did  not  come.  The  earth  became  as  dry  and 
parched  as  if  it  had  been  in  flower-pots  and  under  cover. 

We  often  complain  of  the  weather.  The  severe  cold  pinches  us,  and  is  hard  to 
bear,  especially  as  we  outgrow  the  love  of  skating  or  sleigh-riding.  Excessive  heat 
is  equally  uncomfortable.  Rains,  to  some,  never  seem  to  come  exactly  at  the  right 
time.  Crops  will  be  injured  in  harvest;  pleasure  parties  will  be  broken  up.  Long 
continued  droughts,  with  a  brazen  sun  setting  day  after  day,  unmistakably  indicating 
no  rain  to-morrow,  make  us  feel  how  powerless  we  are  to  avert  impending  famine. 
What  was  planted  gives  no  increase.  The  pastures  fail,  "  the  Grasshopper  becomes 
a  burthen,"  and  we  complain.  But  since  that  season's  exemption  from  the  Curculio 
I  have  learned  to  be  more  patient.  These  rough  extremes  have  their  compensations. 
I  have  known  a  terrible  raid  of  Mosquitoes  ended  by  a  cold  night  in  June.  The 
papers  in  some  of  the  Western  States  told  us  that  one  of  the  insect  enemies  of  the 
wheat  crop  was  killed  by  that  same  cold  night  The  Chinch  bug  goes  on  increasing, 
and  its  ravages  become  more  and  more  serious  until  arrested  by  a  rain-storm.  The 
Aphides,  that  sometimes  fairly  blacken  the  young  shoots  of  grape  vines,  will  be 
melted  into  mere  stains  by  a  single  shower.  Wasps  kill  their  young  after  the  first 
frosty  night.  No  insects  are  more  attentive  to  their  broods  than  the  wasps,  but  they 
seem  to  know  from  instinct  that  the  days  of  these  young  will  be  "  few  and  evil," 
after  such  a  warning. 

For  years  a  species  of  Thrips  had  been  living  on  some  Sugar  Maple  trees  near 
my  house  They  had  become  so  numerous  that  every  leaf  had  its  colony,  and  the 
foliage  had  turned  grey  by  reason  of  their  sapping  operations.  On  the  25th  of  June 
the  mercury  in  the  thermometer  rose  to  100°  in  the  shade,  and  next  day  not  a  living 
Thrips  could  be  found  on  those  Maple  trees.  A  slight  breeze  drifted  them  in  eddies 
upon  the  piazza,  looking  like  the  seeds  and  chaff  of  timothy  on  a  barn  floor. 

Almost  every  one  will  remember  an  occasional  crop  of  Plums  coming  to  matu- 
rity. I  have  heard  of  many  such  instances ;  and  where  there  has  been  a  chance  to 
investigate  have  found  that  they  have  been  preceded  by  a  summer  drought  the 
year  before. 


THE      CURCULIO.  37 

The  cells  in  Figure  3  are  usually  made  from  three  to  six  inches  below  the  sur- 
face, and  the  grub  shapes  them  by  a  succession  of  turnings  and  twistings  as  a  bird 
forms  her  nest,  or  as  a  dog  will  prepare  his  bed.  The  grubs  of  many  beetles  that  go 
through  their  transformations  in  the  ground  do  just  so. 

Figs.  4  and  5  are  greatly  enlarged  representations,  both  front  and  back,  of  the 
pupa,  giving  very  satisfactory  views  of  the  appearance  of  this  insect  in  its  intermediate 
stage  between  the  grub  and  the  beetle.  The  Curculio  in  this  stage  has  no  power  of 
locomotion,  but  it  shows  its  sensibility  when- the  cell  is  broken  into  by  a  restless, 
wriggling  motion. 

Fig.  6  is  a  representation  of  the  matured  beetle  before  it  has  emerged  from  the 
ground.  It  will  be  found  of  various  shades  of  color,  but  generally  of  a  pinkish  red  ; 
these  colors,  however,  soon  change  into  those  of  Figure  i  of  this  Plate,  after  the  insect 
comes  to  the  surface. 

Fig.  7  is  only  a  greatly  enlarged  view  of  Fig.  2,  to  make  it  more  satisfactory. 

Fig.  8  gives  a  good  view  of  the  origin  of  the  antennae  or  feelers. 

The  eyes  of  most  insects  are  wonderfully  formed.  They  may  be  said  to  be 
compound  eyes,  each  made  up  of  many  hexagonal  lenses.  If  a  comb  of  the  hive 
bee,  containing  one  or  two  hundred  cells,  could  be  photographed  down  to  the  size  of 
the  head  of  a  pin,  it  would  look  somewhat  like  the  eye  of  a  beetle.  Each  eye  of  the 
Curculio  contains  about  150  of  these  lenses.  The  number  in  the  eyes  of  Butterflies, 
Moths,  or  Dragonflies,  amounts  to  many  thousands.  In  some  microscopic  expe- 
riments made  last  summer  upon  the  eyes  of  plant  lice  from  different  trees  and  plants, 
it  was  found  that  the  number  of  lenses  in  the  eyes  of  these  insects  varied  from  every 
tree  and  plant.  Each  thus  proved  to  be  a  distinct  species,  no  matter  how  close  the 
resemblance  in  other  respects.  Thus,  should  the  rose  bushes  of  a  garden  or  a  neigh- 
borhood be  cleared  of  these  pests  they  would  not  be  re-inhabited  by  those  from  other 
plants.  While  examining  one  of  these  aphides  it  brought  forth  a  young  one,  and 
this  in  turn  being  tested  its  eye  was  found  to  contain  the  same  number  of  lenses  as 
the  mother's.  This  peculiarity  of  the  eyes  of  insects,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  exact 
number  of  these  lenses  in  the  eye  of  each  species,  become  important  in  investigations 
where  only  the  comminuted  parts  can  be  obtained.  In  a  long  series  of  examinations 
of  the  contents  of  the  stomachs  of  birds,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  more  posi- 
tively how  far  the  insectivorous  kinds  frequenting  orchards  are  useful  in  feeding  upon 


38  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

these  enemies  of  the  fruits,  the  microscope  has  enabled  me  to  demonstrate  many  facts 
otherwise  difficult  to  prove. 

Figure  8  of  this  Plate  shows  the  arrangement  of  the  lenses  of  the  eye.  An  ordi- 
nary pocket-glass  will  reveal  this  in  many  of  the  beetles,  some  of  the  large  flies,  and 
many  other  insects ;  but  so  minute  are  these  lenses  in  the  eyes  of  Butterflies,  Moths, 
Dragonflies,  etc.,  that  a  glass  of  much  higher  power  will  be  required. 


I'l.ATK  VII 


THE    CURCULIO.  39 


PLATE    VII. 

1.  The  Canvas. 

2.  Long  Stretcher. 

3.  One  of  the  Short  Stretchers. 

4.  Slip  to  Straddle  the  Tree. 

5.  The  Mop  Stick  padded  for  jarring  the  branches  of  large  trees. 

6.  The  place  where  a  branch  has  been  cut  off,  leaving  an  inch  or  two  of  stump  for  striking  upon  with  a 

mallet. 
7.*  Plum  with  a  Curculio  as  it  appears  after  the  first  blow  or  jar — having  withdrawn  her  proboscis  and  doubled 

up  her  limbs  ready  for  the  fall  to  the  ground  when  the  jar  is  repeated. 
8  &  9.  The  Curculios  and  dead  Plum  buds — showing  their  resemblance. 

THIS  Plate  is  an  illustration  of  the  only  effectual  way  of  managing  the  Curculio 
when  it  comes  upon  the  fruit.  "  An  ounce  of  prevention  is  said  to  be  worth  a  pound 
of  cure."  But  if  there  has  been  no  effort  at  prevention,  the  canvas,  mallet,  and  mop- 
stick  become  a  necessity.  This  manner  of  mastering  the  Curculio  involves  much 
labor.  Few  will  undertake  it,  and  many  who  do  will  not  persevere  to  the  end. 

My  plans  of  fighting  the  Curculio  are  few  and  simple.  Destroy  all  in  the  embryo 
condition,  if  possible.  Every  fruit,  whether  nectarine,  apricot,  plum,  apple,  pear,  or 
quince,  containing  the  grub  of  the  future  Curculio,  falls  prematurely  from  the  tree. 
This  grub  remains  in  that  fallen  fruit  long  enough  to  give  plenty  of  time  for  its 
destruction.  All  our  domestic  animals,  horses,  cattle,  hogs,  and  sheep,  will  eat  these 
fruits  if  they  have  the  chance.  Poultry  are  also  recommended,  but  are  not  to  be 
depended  on  except  for  cherries.  Where  it  is  impracticable  to  use  animals  for  this 
purpose,  let  all  these  young  fruits  be  gathered  by  hand  as  soon  as  possible  after  they 
fall,  and  then  destroyed.  They  may  be  fed  to  the  stock  or  burnt.  Let  there  be  no 
exceptions  on  the  whole  farm.  Some  Apple  or  Cherry  tree  may  stand  in  an  out-of-the- 
way  place,  an  unsuspected  breeder  of  this  pest  for  years.  If  the  fruit  on  such  a  tree 
is  not  valuable  enough  to  have  it  attended  to  in  this  way  cut  it  down  at  once.  By 
all  means  cut  down  all  useless  or  superfluous  Cherry  trees,  and  see  that  the  remaining 


4O  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

trees  of  this  fruit  stand  where  the  hogs  and  poultry  have  free  access.  Form  neigh- 
borhood associations — fruit-growers'  clubs,  where  all  shall  do  the  same  thing.  Do 
this  faithfully  a  single  year,  and  the  benefit  will  be  so  apparent,  in  more  and  better 
fruit,  that  it  will  be  done  the  next  year  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  every  succeeding 
year  the  labor  will  be  less  and  the  benefit  greater.  Don't  stop  because  one  surly 
fellow  will  not  join  you,  or  because  other  neighborhoods  will  not  do  it.  If  there 
should  be  but  one  such  fruit-growers'  club  in  a  county  or  state,  the  members  will  have 
the  more  labor,  of  course,  but  there  will  be  the  greater  profit.  If  your  neighbors  will 
not  join  you,  then  fight  the  battle  alone.  Show  them  it  can  be  done  ;  let  them  see 
the  fruits,  and  shame  them. 

Plant  Plum,  Apricot,  and  Nectarine  trees — plant  orchards  of  Apple,  Pear,  and 
Peach  trees.  Have  fruits  so  plenty,  and  of  such  valuable  sorts,  as  not  only  to  pay 
the  expenses  of  the  extra  labor  but  leave  a  handsome  profit,  after  using  all  you  want 
of  the  best  for  yourself  and  family.  If  you  have  not  destroyed  all  the  Curculios  when 
grubs,  or  if  your  neighbors  have  not  joined  you,  and  they  come  upon  your  young 
fruits,  then  at  them  -with  the  canvas.  If  this  is  properly  managed  your  fruit  can  be  brought 
to  full  maturity  as  certainly  as  if  there  were  no  Curculio. 

If  your  trees  are  young — the  first,  second,,  or  third  crop — a  canvas  six  feet 
square  will  answer  well,  and  you  can  manage  it  alone.  The  palm,  or  rather  the  heel 
of  the  hand,  will  do  the  jarring.  Some  of  the  Turks  will  come  down  with  the  first 
blow,  more  with  the  second,  and  but  few  after  the  third.  This  bringing  down  the 
Curculio  is  to  be  done  with  a  blow — a  sudden  jar — not  a  shake.  Though  the  wind 
shakes  a  tree,  the  Curculio  does  not  stop  work  on  that  account,  but  a  jar  alarms  her 
instantly. 

Fig.  7  of  this  Plate  indicates  the  position  of  the  Curculio  on  a  Plum  under  the 
alarm  of  the  first  blow ;  her  proboscis  is  withdrawn  at  once,  the  claws  cease  to  hold 
fast,  the  limbs  are  drawn  up,  and  the  fore  legs  doubled  at  the  knees,  and  one  placed 
on  each  side  of  the  proboscis.  Another  jar,  and  she  falls  to  the  ground,  and  there, 
among  the  grass  and  dead  buds,  as  seen  at  Fig.  8,  feigns  death — an  instinct  of  self- 
preservation  common  to  insect  life.  Children  find  collections  of  brilliant  little 
beetles,  looking  like  beads,  and  they  string  them  with  needle  and  thread.  The 
beetles  cannot  "  play  possum  "  long  after  such  an  operation,  and  the  beads  are  found 
to  have  legs.  The  travelling  lady-bug  stops  if  you  touch  her.  A  little  "  bouncing 


THE    CURCULIO. 


4> 


beetle  "  will  throw  itself  to  a  distance  if  you  attempt  to  catch  it,  and  there  lie  per- 
fectly still.  Kirby  says  the  cockchafer  will  feign  death  if  it  sees  the  approaching 
rook,  and  has  not  time  to  secrete  itself,  not,  as  the  Curculio  does,  by  drawing  itself 
up  into  a  round  ball,  but  will  spread  its  legs  out  at  full  length,  and  look  as  a  dead 
cockchafer  should,  knowing  that  a  rook  will  not  eat  a  bug  that  he  does  not  kill,  and 
that  this  sprawling  position  is  a  sign  that  it  is  already  dead.  This  may  be  so,  but  I 
do  not  take  the  responsibility.  We  have  no  rooks. 

Caterpillars  are  sought  after  as  food  by  birds,  just  in  proportion  as  they  are  clear 
of  hairs.  The  Geometers,  as  the  Canker  worms  and  Span  worms,  are  of  this  kind.  I 
often  encounter  one  of  these  on  fruit  trees,  that  will  so  resemble  a  short,  stubby, 
dead  twig,  sometimes  standing  straight  out,  sometimes  partially  bent  like  an  elbow, 
as  to  deceive  the  sharp  eye  of  even  the  wren  itself. 

This  instinct  of  insects,  and  especially  of  the  beetles,  to  escape  their  bird  ene- 
mies, led  the  late  David  Thomas,  of  Western  New  York,  one  of  the  best  of  the 
early  horticulturists  of  our  country,  to  use  this  canvas  trap ;  and  of  all  the  many 
plans  that  have  .been  employed  it  is  the  only  one  that  has  stood  the  test  of  experi- 
ence. If  the  Curculio  is  to  be  conquered,  the  destruction  of  the  embryo  in  the 
punctured  fruit  must  be  the  chief  remedy,  and  the  canvas  the  adjunct. 

This  work  would  not  be  complete  without  a  more  circumstantial  account  of  the 
Thomas  mode  of  fighting  the  Curculio.  The  following,  written  by  himself,  is  taken 
from  the  Cultivator  of  August,  1851 : — 

"  It  is  more  than  twenty  years  since  I  caught  this  troublesome  insect  on  sheets, 
and  secured  my  crops  of  plums,  nectarines,  and  apricots;  and  whenever  the  busi- 
ness has  been  thoroughly  done,  I  have  never  been  disappointed. 

"An  average  of  1,500  Curculios,  caught  in  the  first  ten  days  of  summer, 
though  sometimes  rather  earlier,  have  proved  a  sufficient  reduction  of  the  tribe. 

"  This  method  of  protecting  stone  fruit  I  first  published  in  the  New  Tork 
Farmer,  and  afterwards  I  several  times  introduced  the  subject  into  the  old  Genesee 
Farmer.  Of  late,  however,  I  have  seen  reports  of  its  inefficiency,  and  as  the  word 
'shaking'  has  been  generally  used,  perhaps  the  following  extract  from  the  latter 
journal,  which  I  wrote  in  1832  (vol.  ii.,  pp.  155-6),  may  throw  some  light  on  the 
difficulty. 

"  The  first  statement  was  dated  6th  Mo.  7,  1 832,  and  describes  the  imperfect 
mode  as  commonly  practised  : — 


42  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

"  '  On  the  first  day  of  this  month  I  observed  some  Curculios  on  the  Plum  trees  in 
my  fruit  garden  ;  and  not  knowing  how  numerous  they  might  prove,  or  how  much 
danger  was  to  be  apprehended  from  them,  we  spread  the  sheets  which  we  keep 
exclusively  for  this  purpose,  and  by  shaking  we  caught  from  about  fifty  trees  more 
than  thirty  of  these  insects.  Since  that  time,  on  different  days,  we  have  made 
similar  trials,  but  we  soon  became  satisfied  that  only  a  few  were  left ;  and  unless 
others  migrate  hither,  which  the  movement  of  the  hogs  will  be  likely  to  prevent,  I  think 
their  depredations  will  be  very  limited  this  season.' 

"  Three  days  afterwards  I  furnished  the  following  statement,  containing  a  very 
important  improvement  on  the  mode  before  described  : — 

" '  Not  three  days  ago  I  saw  that  many  of  the  plums  were  punctured,  and  began 
to  suspect  that  skating  the  tree  was  not  sufficient.  Under  a  tree  in  a  remote  part  of 
the  fruit  garden,  having  spread  the  sheets,  I  made  the  following  experiments  : — On 
skating  it  well,  I  caught  five  Curculios ;  on  jarring  with  my  hand  I  caught  twch-e 
more ;  and  on  striking  the  tree  with  a  stone,  eight  more  dropped  on  the  sheets.  I  was 
now  convinced  that  I  had  been  in  error,  and  calling  in  the  neces.sary  assistance,  and 
using  a.  hammer  to  jar  the  tree  violently,  we  caught  in  less  than  one  hour  more  than  260 
of  these  insects.' 

"  Now  I  should  think  that  these  statements  would  explain  all  the  failures  that 
have  occurred  in  this  business. 

"  At  that  time  my  trees  were  not  large,  but  they  have  long  since  become  so ; 
and  to  attempt  to  shake  them  now,  or  to  jar  them  with  the  hand,  would  be  out  of 
the  question.  IPe  strike  them  with  an  axe,  and  the  blows  may  be  heard  to  a  considera- 
ble distance.  To  muffle  the  pounder  to  prevent  its  bruising  the  bark,  would  be 
preposterous  in  the  extreme ;  for  the  stroke,  to  be  effectual,  must  be  a  sharp  and  sud- 
den jar.  A  short  stump  of  a  sawed  limb  has  been  found  best.  Some  of  the  success 
of  these  operations,  however,  depends  upon  the  temperature  of  the  weather.  Thus, 
many  of  these  insects  fly  off  in  the  warm  part  of  the  day,  and  in  the  coolest 
mornings  we  catch  them  in  the  greatest  numbers. — DAVID  THOMAS,  Grcatfield, 
6th  Mo.,  1851." 

After  such  clear  and  explicit  instructions  from  the  practical  man,  modified, 
improved,  and  perfected  after  twenty  years  of  experience,  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
say  one  word  as  to  the  modus  operand!  of  the  canvas  remedy,  except  that  probably 
the  form  recommended  in  the  Plate  will  be  an  improvement  on  the  plan  of  Friend 
Thomas,  and  the  mop-stick  for  jarring  the  branches  will  be  found  greatly  superior  to 
the  mallet  or  axe,  where  the  trees  are  old  and  large. 


THE    CURCULIO.  4.3 

As  soon  as  the  jarring  is  finished,  go  to  work  as  you  see  the  boy  in  this  Plate. 
Get  each  Curculio  between  the  thumb  and  finger,  and  kill  it.  Some  have  recom- 
mended to  empty  the  whole  contents  of  the  canvas  into  hot  water;  this  is  not 
always  effectual ;  a  few  will  hold  fast  with  their  claws,  some  will  fly  away,  or  the 
water  will  soon  cool.  Better  hunt  them  out  individually,  and  crush  them. 

Early  in  the  season  many  dried  buds,  the  withered  petals  of  the  blossoms,  and 
some  insects,  as  Lady-bugs,  will  fall  upon  the  sheet,  requiring  it  to  be  turned  or 
emptied  for  every  tree.  This  can  be  done  in  taking  up  the  sheet.  The  usual  way 
of  carrying  this  small  canvas  from  tree  to  tree  is  to  hold  all  the  stretchers,  long  and 
short,  in  one  hand,  with  the  fold  of  the  sheet  hanging  down.  As  you  approach  a 
tree,  drop  the  long  stretcher,  and  pass  one  of  the  short  ones  on  each  side,  till  the 
centre  of  the  slip  comes  up  snug  round  the  body;  then  jar,  and  then  crush,  and  so 
on,  to  every  tree ;  and  then  begin  again  at  the  beginning,  and  go  on  over  the  entire  orchard 
just  as  often  as  you  find  Curculios. 

In  cold,  windy,  or  wet  weather,  the  operations  of  insects  are  in  a  great  measure 
suspended,  and  on  such  days  the  Curculio  will  require  little  attention.  But  as  all 
insect  life  is  active  in  proportion  to  the  heat  of  the  weather,  when  the  hot  days  do 
come,  and  especially  when  the  sun  breaks  out  suddenly  between  showers,  it  will  be 
found  necessary  to  hurry  this  work. 

The  more  vigorously  the  war  is  waged  early  in  the  season,  the  sooner  it  will  be 
over.  Watch  the  young  fruits  carefully  as  they  approach  the  sizes  of  those  on  Plate 
II.;  and  the  day  that  one  of  those  crescent  marks  is  seen,  is  the  time  to  begin. 
Each  female  now  will  contain  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  eggs,  and  she  will  want  a 
fruit  for  each.  Later  in  the  season  she  will  often  be  found  with  but  few,  sometimes 
only  one  or  two,  and,  of  course,  she  is  not  then  capable  of  doing  much  more 
mischief. 

If  your  trees  are  full  grown,  a  larger  canvas — ten  or  twelve  feet  square — will  be 
required.  This  can  easily  be  managed  by  one  person,  with  the  help  of  a  small  boy. 
Middle-sized  trees  can  be  jarred  sufficiently  with  a  common  mallet,  provided  you  can 
afford  to  cut  off  a  good-sized  branch,  as  shown  at  Figure  6  in  this  Plate.  The  edges 
of  this  stump  should  be  carefully  pared,  so  as  to  leave  a  convex  surface  to  receive 
the  blows.  With  proper  care,  such  a  stub  will  last  during  the  season.  The  branch 

should  not  be  less  than  an  inch  in  diameter,  or  the  stub  would  soon  be  split  to  pieces. 

6 


44  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

Old  trees  lose  their  elasticity,  and  cannot  always  be  jarred  enough  with  the  mallet  to 
cause  the  Curculio  to  let  go ;  in  this  case  the  common  mop-stick,  used  against  the 
limb  as  shown  in  the  Plate,  answers  perfectly.  It  should  be  properly  padded  to 
avoid  bruising  the  bark. 

The  illustration  on  this  Plate  fairly  represents  the  form  of  canvas  I  have  always 
used.  It  is  made  of  common  strong  white  sheeting,  and  if  properly  taken  care  of 
will  last  for  years.  Many  other  forms  have  been  described.  Some  use  a  common 
sheet,  and  that  will  answer  for  a  very  few  small  trees  in  a  garden ;  larger  ones  would 
require  two  ;  but  the  stretchers  will  save  much  time,  and  will  be  found  indispensable 
if  the  weather  should  be  windy.  One  gentleman,  whom  I  know,  has  arranged  his 
canvas  upon  a  frame,  fitting  loosely  so  as  to  sag  to  the  centre,  that  the  Curculios  may 
roll  down  together;  and  this  frame  is  fitted  to  a  two-wheeled  barrow,  the  slip  pro- 
jecting beyond  the  barrow,  and  that  part  of  the  frame  thus  brought  against  the  body 
of  the  tree  made  strong  and  padded  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  necessary  jar — a 
butting  machine — something  in  the  goat  style.  Such  a  contrivance,  if  made  strong 
enough,  will  save  the  labor  of  one  hand. 

Most  people  of  our  country,  who  have  attended  the  large  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural exhibitions,  have  seen  the  contributions  of  plums  sent  by  Ellwanger  and  Barry 
of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Often  twenty,  thirty,  or  even  more  varieties  will  be  found  on 
the  tables  from  their  orchards.  Pears,  apples,  and  grapes  are  contributed  by  many 
others,  but  they  are  often  the  only  exhibitors  of  plums. 

The  Horticulturist  of  1 859,  page  527,  contains  the  following : 

''  Curculio  Remedy. — The  Valley  Farmer  publishes  the  manner  which  Ellwanger 
and  Barry,  of  Rochester,  take  to  rid  their  fruit-trees  of  this  enemy.  They  employ 
two  men,  whose  regular  business  it  is  to  carry  out  this  operation.  A  light  wooden 
frame  is  made,  on  which  canvas  or  cheap  muslin  is  stretched,  made  large  enough  to 
cover  the  space  under  the  branches  of  one  half  the  tree.  Also  a  similar  one  to  occupy 
the  remaining  space.  A  branch  of  the  tree  has  been  previously  sawed  off,  thus  leaving 
a  stump  three  or  four  inches  long  (one  inch,  only,  would  be  better).  After  the 
Curculio  catchers  are  placed  beneath  the  branches,  which  can  be  quickly  done,  one  of 
the  men  with  the  mallet  strikes  the  stump  a  sharp,  quick  blow.  The  little  Turks 
drop,  and  are  immediately  removed  from  the  '  catchers,'  and  the  men  proceed  to  the 
next  tree.  Many  hundred  trees  can  thus  be  gone  over  in  a  few  hours." 


THE    CURCULIO.  45 

Twice  last  season  I  visited  the  plum  orchard  of  these  gentlemen.  I  certainly 
saw  nothing  in  Western  New  York  so  beautiful,  nor  have  I  tasted  anything  So  good 
as  their  plums.  They  have  all  the  best  kinds,  both  old  and  new,  two,  three,  or  more 
trees  of  each.  These  are  trained  as  dwarfs  and  planted  quite  close  together.  The 
use  of  the  canvas  in  such  an  orchard  is  much  more  difficult  than  where  trees  are 
planted  in  the  ordinary  way ;  still  it  is  used  successfully,  for  every  year  they  have 
plums.  The  Curculio  is  probably  as  common  here  as  in  other  places.  In  a  careful 
examination  of  the  pears  and  apples  on  their  grounds,  the  unmistakable  mark  was  as 
often  met  with  as  in  other  fruit  establishments  in  Western  New  York.  Charles 
Downing  resorts  to  similar  means  of  saving  his  plums. 

I  know  a  gentleman  in  New  Jersey  who  not  only  has  the  taste  for  fruit-growing, 
but  the  energy  necessary  for  conquering  the  enemies  of  fruits.  You  see  in  his 
grounds,  in  the  most  perfect  order,  pears,  apples,  grapes,  cherries,  and  all  the  smaller 
fruits ;  but  he  takes  no  special  interest  in  pointing  them  out  to  visitors.  They  are 
common — others  have  them ;  but  when  you  go  with  him  among  plum,  apricot,  and 
nectarine  trees  loaded  with  fruit,  you  see  his  consciousness  of  triumph,  and  oh,  how 
beautiful  they  are !  Why  will  not  every  one  who  has  retired  to  the  country  for 
enjoyment  have  such  enjoyment  as  this,  by  conquering  these  enemies,  and  making 
for  himself  a  primeval  Eden,  with  all  the  modern  improvements  ?  Mother  Eve 
managed  the  fruit  business  badly  in  her  day,  and  gave  Adam,  and  all  the  rest  of  us, 
a  great  deal  of  trouble  ;  but  if  we  face  that  trouble  resolutely  we  shall  find  a  recom- 
pense. 

"""  » 

LISTS  OF  PLUMS  TO  CHOOSE  FROM. 
I. 

From  Charles  Downing. 

^ 

Bradshaw,  Bleecker's  Gage, 

Coe's  Golden  Drop,  Green  Gage, 

Denniston's  Superb,  Imperial  Gage, 

Jefferson,  Lawrence's  Favorite, 

Lombard,  McLaughlin, 

Prune  d'Agen,  Purple  Favorite, 

Royal  Hative,  Reine  Claude  de  Bevay, 

Imperial  Ottoman,  Jaune  Hative, 


46  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

Washington,  Yellow  Gage  (Prince), 

Magnum  Bonum  (Yellow),  Parsonage, 

Red  Gage,  Schuylcr  Gage. 
Schenectady  Catherine, 

To  which  I  would  add  Pond's  Seedling,  Victoria,  Fellenberg  Prune,  Pear  Prune, 
and  the  Mellen  Gage.  The  last  a  remarkable  plum,  both  as  to  quality  and  for  its 
long  period  of  ripening. 

Africots. 

Breda,  Large  Early, 

Peach,  Moorpark, 

St.  Ambroisc.  Purple  or  Black. 

Nectarines. 

Boston,  Downton, 

Early  Violet,  Elruge. 

To  which  I  will  add  Early  Newington  and  Stanwick. 

II. 

American  Pomological  Society's  Catalogue  of  1 864. 

Bleecker's  Gage,  Bradshaw, 

Coc's  Golden  Drop,  Columbia, 

Damson,  Duane's  Purple, 

Early  Favorite  (Rircrs),  Fellenberg, 

German  Prune,  General  Hand, 

Green  Gage,  Goliah, 

Rulings'  Superb,  Imperial  Gage, 

Jefferson,  Lawrence's  Favorite, 

Lombard,  McLaughlin, 

Monroe,  Orleans,  Smith's, 

Peach  Plum,  Prune  d'Agen, 

Purple  Gage,  Purple  Favorite, 

Reine  Claude  de  Bevay,  Royale  Hative, 

Royal  de  Tours,  St.  Catherine, 

St.  Martin's  Quetsche,  Victoria, 

Washington,  White  Magnum  Bonum. 
Yellow  Gage  (Prince's),   , 


THE    CURCULIO.  47 

American  Pomological  Society's  List  of  Apricots. 

Breda,  Early  Golden, 

Large  Early,  Large  Red, 

La  Fayette,  Moorpark, 

Orange,  Peach, 

Red  Masculine,  St.  Ambroise. 
Turkey, 

American  Pomological  Society's  List  of  Nectarines. 

Boston,  Downton, 

Early  Newington,  Early  Violet, 

Elruge,  Stanwick. 

I  have  nothing  to  say  on  the  cultivation  of  fruit  trees  in  general.  The  instruc- 
tions in  the  books  are  ample.  But  upon  the  management  of  the  Apricot  Orchard 
some  account  of  my  own  experience  may  be  appropriate  here.  I  commenced  with 
ten  trees,  five  from  a  North  River  Nursery,  and  five  from  Andre  Leroy,  France. 
The  former  had  been  budded  near  the  ground  on  Plum  roots,  and  were  Apricot  trees. 
The  latter  were  budded  five  or  six  feet  up  on  Plum  trees — making  Apricot  tops  on 
Plum  stocks.  The  former  never  grew  large  and  soon  died — the  latter  grew  as  large 
as  Plum  trees  and  were  long-lived. 

A  few  years'  experience  proved,  that  in  that  particular  situation,  as  to  climate, 
soil,  and  exposure,  I  could  have  as  regular  and  full  crops  of  apricots  as  of  plums,  and 
with  no  more  trouble  from  the  Curculio.  I  changed  whole  orchards  of  young  plum 
trees,  then  just  beginning  to  bear,  by  budding;  inserting  the  apricot  buds  into  all  the 
branches  of  the  young  plum  trees.  The  success  was  perfect;  and  in  the  third 
summer  such  trees  were  bearing  very  valuable  crops — the  fruit  large  and  beautiful. 

The  trunks  of  some  Apricot  trees,  like  those  of  some  Cherry  trees,  in  our  cli- 
mate, suffer  badly  from  extremes  of  weather.  This  may  be  guarded  against  by 
budding  high  up  on  the  Plum.  The  Apricot  bud  early  in  the  winter  will  bear  a 
greater  degree  of  cold  than  the  Peach  bud,  the  latter  being  killed  at  a  temperature 
of  18°  below  zero.  But  the  Apricot  bud  will  begin  to  swell  with  the  early  warm  days 
of  spring  before  the  Peach  bud  shows  any  change,  and  then  the  liability  to  injury 
from  cold  becomes  reversed. 

By  blossoming  so  much  earlier  than  other  fruit  trees,  the  Apricot  is  considered 


48  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

too  uncertain  to  be  depended  upon  as  a  crop  in  most  parts  of  our  country ;  but  if 
situations  were  chosen,  such  as  are  generally  selected  by  apricot  growers  in  Persia, 
Italy,  and  France,  it  would  be  found  to  flourish  just  as  well  here  as  there.  It  does 
not  require  warm  countries,  neither  should  the  climate  be  very  cold.  But  always 
plant  on  your  high  hill-sides ;  on  mountains,  if  you  have  them.  And  if  in  such  a 
situation  that  the  sun  shall  not  strike  the  trees  until  an  hour  or  more  after  rising,  so 
much  the  better ;  frost  on  the  blossoms  would  then  have  time  to  evaporate,  and  the 
heat  of  the  sun's  rays  could  do  no  injury. 

In  the  cultivation  of  the  Apricot  as  a  market  fruit,  much  of  its  value  will 
depend  upon  the  perfection  of  its  ripening  upon  the  tree.  Like  the  Green  Gage  and 
other  superior  plums,  it  should  remain  upon  its  native- stem  until  the  exact  time  has 
come — no  pulling  to  take  it  off,  only  gently  coaxing.  During  the  last  two  or  three 
days  that  such  fruits  hang  upon  the  trees,  before  they  become  what  is  called  dead 
ripe,  they  increase  greatly  in  size,  and  the  richness  and  beauty  of  their  colors 
are  then  fully  developed.  Fruits  thus  perfectly  ripened  are  always  wholesome,  and 
are  as  superior  to  those  picked  prematurely,  as  the  blackberry  which  surrenders  to  a 
touch  is  to  the  one  torn  off  when  only  red. 

Some  may  suppose  that  such  fully  ripe  apricots,  plums,  or  nectarines,  cannot 
be  carried  any  distance  to  market.  That  will  depend  upon  the  packing.  They 
must  not  be  bruised,  of  course ;  and  if  that  is  guarded  against  it  will  be  found  that 
fruit  fully  ripened  will  keep  better  than  that  gathered  prematurely.  It  will  not 
wilt,  and  is  not  so  liable  to  rot.  Small  baskets  are  best.  I  had  them  made  one  foot 
long  by  six  inches  wide  and  four  deep.  Two,  side  by  side,  made  a  square.  Two  on 
the  top  of  these,  crossing  them,  and  then  two  more — the  six  going  together  brick- 
fashion — made  a  very  convenient  package  for  a  small-sized  square  crate.  Two  rows 
of  the  Moorpark  Apricots,  packed  with  intermediate  layers  of  their  own  leaves, 
would  nearly  fill  one  of  these  baskets  level  with  the  top,  and  fifty  apricots  were  the 
usual  allowance.  The  six  baskets  contained  about  half  a  bushel.  The  crates  were 
made  entirely  of  slats,  the  lids  fitted  with  hinges  and  locks.  If  carefully  managed 
they  will  last  for  years.  Some  crates  were  made  double  this  size,  to  contain  two 
packages  of  six  baskets  each. 

Few  sights  in  the  markets  are  more  refreshing  than  the  opening  of  such  crates 
filled  with  perfectly  ripe  Moorpark  Apricots,  picked  the  day  before.  The  extra 


THE    CURCULIO.  49 

expense  caused  by  the  Curculio  is  soon  paid  for  when  you  can  sell  at  such  rates  that 
a  bushel  comes  to  forty,  fifty,  or  sixty  dollars,  as  it  would  now. 

One  of  my  young  Apricot  orchards  was  an  object  of  special  interest  on  several 
accounts.  It  was  so  situated  that  all  the  Curculios  that  attacked  the  young  fruit  had 
to  come  from  a  distance.  Every  day  some  of  these  would  be  found  on  the  outside 
rows,  but  so  systematic  was  the  warfare  made  upon  them,  that  they  never  got  within 
these  rows.  Every  punctured  fruit  in  that  orchard  was  destroyed,  but  the  next  year 
it  would  be  the  same  thing,  the  Curculios  coming  from  a  distance.  The  boys 
with  the  canvas  would  go  over  that  orchard,  with  others,  in  the  mornings,  and  I 
would  make  my  calls  at  intervals  during  the  day,  to  assure  myself  that  no  mischief 
was  going  on.  Occasionally  "a  Curculio  could  be  seen  at  work,  and  then  I  would 
experiment  with  the  jarring  process,  beginning  with  a  gentle  shake,  then  a  harder 
shake,  then  a  very  gentle  jar  such  as  a  blue-bird  or  bob-o'-link  would  make  alight- 
ing on  the  tree  in  its  cautious  fluttering  manner,  then  the  decided  jar  ot  the  robin  or 
oriole.  Such  experiments  led  me  to  the  opinion  that  the  Curculio  has  an  instinc- 
tive fear  of  birds. 

I  have  often  watched  this  insect  on  the  ground  after  the  taps  had  caused  her  to 
let  go.  She  will  lie  on  the  bare  earth  or  among  the  grass  as  quiet  as  if  dead,  as  long 
as  the  danger  lasts,  and  then  unfold  her  legs,  that  had  been  closely  drawn  up,  and 
creep  off  towards  the  tree.  Soon  you  will  see  her  moving  rapidly  up  the  body,  on 
the  limbs,  and  out  on  a  branch  of  that  tree.  If  the  weather  is  very  hot,  the  speed  of 
her  motions  will  be  extremely  rapid.  If  any  one  who  reads  this  book  is  at  a  loss  for 
employment,  let  him  plant  some  high  hill  with  an  Apricot  orchard,  protected  from 
the  east,  and  keep  off  the  Curculio.  It  may  be  made  both  pleasant  and  profitable. 

Nothing  has  been  said  as  to  the  jarring  process  for  saving  Apples,  Pears,  or 
Cherries.  Young  trees  of  these  fruits  just  beginning  to  bear  may  be  easily  jarred 
with  the  hand ;  but  larger  trees  will  be  found  very  unyielding  to  anything  except 
the  mop-stick  to  the  branches.  The  Plums,  Apricots,  and  Nectarines  will  be 
enough  for  any  one  to  take  care  of  by  this  troublesome  process ;  and  if  all  the  young 
fruits  on  the  farm,  and  especially  on  all  the  neighboring  farms,  have  been  properly 
disposed  of  the  year  before,  there  will  be  little  occasion  for  its  repetition.  What  the 
Curculio  will  then  take  of  such  fruits  will  hardly  be  missed.  I  have  sometimes  found 
great  benefit  from  jarring  young  peach  orchards  for  three  or  four  days,  and  espe- 
cially the  trees  bearing  the  very  earliest  kinds. 


I:  viir 


THE    CURCULIO. 


PLATE    VIII. 

1.   A  twig  from  a  Plum  Tree  that  had  been  profusely  washed,  or  syringed,  with  what  has  been  called  the 

"  Whale-Oil  Soap  Mixture." 
2.2.2.  Three  Plums  on  this  twig,  painted  exactly  as  they  appeared  June  24th,  1863,  each  Plum  showing  that 

it  had  received  a  portion  of  the  mixture  in  the  general  syringing  that  the  tree  had  been  subjected  to. 
3.   A  Curculio  as  seen  at  work  at  the  time. 

PEOPLE  who  have  had  the  fewest  opportunities  of  acquiring  information  on  the 
subject  of  medicine,  and  who  are  often  totally  ignorant  of  the  science,  are  those 
most  likely  to  be  the  dupes  of  quacks ;  and  the  vast  sums  received  by  the  publishers 
of  newspapers  for  inserting  quack  advertisements,  testify  to  the  number  of  such 
victims. 

On  the  subject  of  Insects  nearly  all,  educated  and  uneducated,  are  alike  ignorant. 
Few  have  the  time,  still  fewer  the  inclination,  to  devote  much  thought  to  such  a 
subject;  and  those  who  do,  usually  study  it  strictly  as  a  science.  They  arrange 
insects  in  orders,  classes,  families,  genera,  and  species.  They  learn  their  Latin 
names,  and  what  those  names  signify — -in  fact,  become  entomologists.  Such  people 
are  often  enthusiastic  collectors  of  insects,  and  much  of  their  time  is  pleasantly 
employed  in  arranging  them  in  cabinets.  The  discovery  of  an  undescribed  species  is 
as  gratifying  to  an  entomologist,  as  the  finding  of  a  new  plant  to  a  botanist,  or  a  new 
fish  to  Agassiz.  But  these  investigators  seldom  inquire  which  are  the  useful  or 
which  the  injurious. 

Others  become  interested  in  studying  the  habits  or  instincts  of  particular  classes. 
The  elder  Huber  spent  forty  years  in  the  study  of  Bees  and  Ants  alone,  and  left  the 
subject  unfinished.  But  his  works  have  made  many  friends  for  these  two  species, 
who  are  continuing  the  investigation,  and  the  general  interest  in  them  is  constantly 
increasing.  The  great  work  of  Kirby  and  Spence  has  made  a  friend  to  insect  investi- 
gations of  every  one  who  has  read  it. 

In  our  country,  Harris  and  Fitch  have  laid  broad  foundations  for  usefulness — 


J2  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

too  broad,  perhaps,  to  complete  the  superstructure,  but  greatly  useful  as  far  as  they  go. 
Their  works  have  created  an  interest  in  such  studies  that  is  doing  much  good.  But 
still  a  vast  majority  of  people — even  religious  people — have  such  a  prejudice,  such  a 
repugnance  to  insects,  that  they  do  not  hesitate  to  crush  all  indiscriminately.  Such 
people*seize  with  avidity  all  the  nostrums  they  see  recommended,  especially  in  the 
Agricultural  papers. 

As  the  science  of  Surgery  emerged  from  the  deep  darkness  of  the  early  ages,  an 
eminent  physician  wrote,  "Millions  have  died  of  medicable  wounds."  It  might 
now  be  written  that  hundreds  of  millions  have  died  from  nostrums  prepared  by  men 
who  knew  little  of  medicines,  and  still  less  of  the  human  system. 

Of  all  our  insect  enemies  none  have  had  so  many  remedies  proposed  for  their 
extermination  as  the  Curculio.  For  twenty  years  I  have  been  making  collections  of 
these,  and  I  cannot  imagine  anything  of  less  value,  unless  it  should  be  a  similar 
collection  of  quack  remedies  for  consumption  or  rheumatism.  A  few  of  these  I  pro- 
pose to  introduce  here — some  to  be  examined  seriously,  and  some  to  be  laughed  at. 
Many  of  the  newspapers  of  the  large  cities  publish  country  editions,  some  of  which 
have  an  immense  circulation.  To  make  these  more  useful  to  farmers,  a  column  or 
two  is  often  devoted  to  agricultural  reading.  Many  of  the  religious  papers  have  a 
similar  department.  One  of  these  latter,  published  in  New  York,  has  printed 
annually  for  several  years  a  Curculio  remedy,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy: 

"  We  have  received  requests  from  several  persons  to  republish  the  directions  for  preparing  and  applying 
this  mixture.  The  following  are  the  proportions.  If  any  are  unable  to  obtain  the  whale-oil  soap,  strong 
soft  soap  may  be  used. 

"  THE'  MIXTURE. — To  one  pound  of  whale-oil  soap  add  four  ounces  of  sulphur.  Mix  thoroughly,  and 
dissolve  in  twelve  gallons  of  water. 

"  Take  one  half  peck  of  quick  lime,  and  when  well  slacked,  add  four  gallons  of  water,  and  stir  well 
together.  When  settled  and  clear,  pour  off  the  transparent  part  and  add  to  the  soap  and  sulphur  mixture. 

"To  this  mixture,  add  four  gallons  of  strong  tobacco  water.  Apply  this  compound  when  thus  incorpo- 
rated with  a  garden  syringe  to  your  plum  or  other  fruit  trees,  so  as  to  drench  all  parts  of  the  foliage.  If  no 
rains  succeed  for  three  weeks,  one  application  will  be  sufficient.  If  washed  by  rains,  it  should  be  renewed." 

I  find  attached  to  the  above  quite  a  number  of  articles  clipped  from  Agricultural 
papers,  alluding  to  this  remedy ;  and  among  them  the  following  from  the  Country 
Gentleman.  It  was  an  extract  from  a  letter  from  Maryland : 


THE    CURCULIO.  53 

"As  to  the  Curculio,  I  am  dead  beat — but  not  subdued.  A  remedy  vaunted  in  a  New  York 
paper  had  my  confidence  for  two  years,,  in  each  of  which  the  frost  killed  my  plum  blossoms.  In  the 
third  the  plums  appeared,  and  so  did  the  inevitable  Curculio.  Nothing  loth  to  encounter  him,  I  mixed  my 
nasty  ammunition — whale  oil,  soap,  tobacco,  sulphur  and  lime — seized  my  squirt,  and  charged  the  enemy  in 
front,  flank,  and  rear,  windward  and  leeward,  right,  left,  and  perpendicularly.  The  consequence  to  the 
Curculio  did  not  seem  important — perhaps  he  rather  enjoyed  the  aspersion — but  I  got  not  a  single  plum." 

In  the  report  of  the  Yale  Agricultural  Lectures,  Dr.  Fitch  alludes  to  this  mix- 
ture, and  thinks  that  two  of  the  ingredients  may  be  useful. 

To  ascertain  positively  whether  this  mixture  had  any  effect  in  repelling  the  Cur- 
culio I  submitted  it  to  many  tests.  The  Apple,  Fig.  9,  Plate  II.,  was  the  subject  of 
one  experiment ;  but  as  that  was  punctured  when  the  insects  were  in  confinement  it 
was  not  conclusive.  I  next  washed  a  branch  of  a  Plum  tree  profusely  with  this  mix- 
ture, prepared  exactly  as  recommended,  and  liberated  a  number  of  Curculios  upon 
it.  They  commenced  the  puncturing  operations  on  the  plums  coated  with  the  fluid 
with  the  same  avidity  as  upon  the  unwashed  ones. 

Next,  I  watched  some  Plum  trees  in  the  garden  of  a  neighbor  who  used  this 
mixture  most  perseveringly  through  the  season,  and  they  were  just  as  much  punc- 
tured as  were  the  plums  in  neighboring  gardens,  where  nothing  was  done  to  protect 
them.  To  settle  this  point  still  more  positively,  I  made  a  visit  to  the  Agricultural  edi- 
tor of  this  paper,  at  his  country  place  in  Westchester  county,  New  York.  The  mix- 
ture was  prepared  here  by  the  barrel,  and  used  profusely  not  only  on  the  Plum  trees 
but  on  rose  bushes.  The  gentleman  being  absent  at  the  time,  while  waiting  his 
return,  I  experimented  with  the  gardener  on  various  insects.  After  the  mixture  was 
thoroughly  agitated,  so  as  to  be  almost  thick  with  the  ingredients,  Curculios  were 
put  into  it  and  kept  under,  and  then,  when  they  would  come  to  the  surface  for 
breath,  were  forced  under  again  and  again.  But  still  these  Curculios,  as  soon  as  they 
had  time  to  rid  themselves  of  some  of  the  mixture,  would  creep  away,  and  when 
fairly  dry  would  unfold  their  wings  and  fly  off. 

Several  slugs  from  the  rose  bushes  were  treated  in  the  same  way,  and  although 
they  seemed  to  be  more  inconvenienced  than  the  Curculios,  they  all  survived  it 
The  rose  bushes  at  this  time,  June  24th,  showed  the  presence  of  very  few  of  these 
slugs,  and  it  might  have  been  inferred  that  the  mixture  that  had  been  used  so 
freely  had  killed  them ;  but  at  this  time  of  year  this  pest  has  generally  come  to 


J4  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

maturity  as  a  feeding  insect,  and  has  formed  its  cocoon,  preparatory  to  its  transforma- 
tion. The  leaves  on  the  rose-bushes  in  this  garden  were  as  much  injured  by  this 
slug  as  in  other  gardens  where  nothing  had  been  used  to  prevent  their  ravages. 
Rose  slugs,  like  many  other  insects,  appear  with  considerable  regularity,  and 
nearly  all  disappear  about  the  same  time.  Remedies  used  at  the  latter  period  will 
apparently  be  effectual,  and  thus  acquire  a  reputation  to  which  they  are  not 
entitled. 

Soon  after  these  little  experiments  were  concluded,  the  gentleman  arrived.  We 
made  a  tour  of  observation,  during  which  I  was  able  to  point  out  the  Curculio 
of  which  Fig.  3  on  this  Plate  is  a  representation,  in  the  very  act  of  mischief,  in  spite 
of  the  mixture  with  which  the  tree  had  been  deluged. 

In  a  pleasant  ramble  through  these  beautiful  grounds  I  discovered  one  great 
source  of  the  number  of  Curculios  here.  The  roads  and  avenues  on  the  lawn  were 
lined  with  shade  and  cherry  trees  interspersed.  These  trees  were  now  old  and  large, 
and  the  cherry  trees  had  a  fair  crop  of  fruit.  Birds  were  present  in  great  numbers,  but 
not  enough  to  eat  so  many  cherries ;  probably  not  enough  to  eat  that  portion  of  them 
containing  the  embryo  Curculios  so  often  found  in  this  fruit. 

This  gentleman,  who  has  had  such  undoubting  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  this 
mixture  as  a  remedy  to  protect  fruit  from  the  attacks  of  the  Curculio,  has  probably 
had  plums  some  seasons  after  using  it,  as  many  others  have  had  after  applying  the 
various  other  remedies  that  have  been  in  vogue.  Often  when  they  have  such  crops, 
had  they  examined  their  neighbors'  trees  where  nothing  had  been  used,  they  would 
have  seen  just  as  many  plums.  I  have  shown  why  we  occasionally  have  such  seasons 
of  abundance.  The  general  or  partial  droughts  of  the  preceding  season  killing  the 
embryo  Curculio  during  its  transformation,  is  one  of  the  contingencies  in  the  life  of 
this  insect,  that  has  probably  given  to  many  of  the  Curculio  remedies  their  adven- 
titious reputation. 

Much  has  been  written  about  planting  fruit  trees  so  as  to  lean  over  water  as  a 
way  of  preventing  the  depredations  of  the  Curculio.  On  the  2jth  of  July,  1863,  I 
was  one  of  a  party  to  visit  the  vineyards  of  Dr.  Underhill,  at  Croton  Point,  on  the 
Hudson  River.  That  gentleman  had  solicited  the  appointment  of  a  committee  at  a 
meeting  of  fruit-growers,  to  examine  his  mode  of  cultivating  grapes.  The  visit  was 
a  most  pleasant  one.  The  number  ot  grapes,  and  the  manner  of  cultivation,  were 


THE    CURCULIO.  55 

subjects  of  general  admiration.     The  diseases  of  the  vine  and  fruit,  and  some  of  the 
insect  enemies,  will  be  spoken  of  hereafter. 

While  here,  we  visited  the  Doctor's  Plum  trees  planted  round  an  artificial  pond. 
They  stand  at  an  angle  of  about  45°,  and  so  close  to  the  edge  of  the  bank  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  branches  are  over  the  water,  so  that  when  the  fruit  comes  to 
maturity  on  these  trees  a  boat  will  be  necessary  to  gather  the  greater  part  of  it. 
In  a  very  careful  examination  of  those  trees  having  fruit  on  at  this  time,  we  found  it 
badly  punctured  by  the  Curculio.  On  the  plums  high  up  on  the  trees,  and  especially 
on  those  branches  leaning  furthest  over  the  water,  it  was  impossible  to  see  whether  the 
crescent  mark  was  there  or  not ;  but  wherever  near  enough  to  be  examined,  we  could 
see  no  difference  between  those  plums  hanging  over  the  water  and  those  over  the 
land.  They  were  just  as  badly  marked  with  the  punctures  of  the  Curculio  as  were 
the  plums  on  some  trees  at.  the  neighboring  station  of  Croton ;  just  as  badly  stung  as 
in  Newark  and  other  places  I  have  visited  this  year  on  purpose  to  see  the  extent  of 
the  ravages  of  the  Curculio.  Gentlemen  who  have  often  seen  these  trees  other  years, 
have  told  me  that  they  have  always  had  a  similar  experience. 

Dr.  Underbill,  like  others,  has  had  crops  of  plums,  and  these  crops  have  probably 
been  ascribed  to  the  circumstance  that  they  grew  over  water;  and  he  believes  that 
the  merit  of  the  plan  is  attributable  to  the  sagacity  or  instinct  of  the  insect :  That  she 
must  not  deposit  her  eggs  in  fruit  so  situated  that  it  will  fall  into  water.  To  carry  out  this 
theory,  it  would  be  necessary  for  the  Curculio  to  know  that  the  plums  in  which  she 
deposits  her  eggs  will  fall  from  that  tree  ;  that  if  they  fall  into  the  water,  the  grubs 
they  contain  -will  perish  ;  that  if  they  fall  on  land  they  will  be  safe.  The  question 
here  arises — Has  the  Curculio  such  instincts,  or  such  sagacity  ? 

In  this  world  of  wonders  in  which' we  live,  there  is  nothing  so  wonderful  as  the 
instincts  of  insects.  The  impulses  that  control  their  actions  are  strangely  perfect. 
They  are  no  more  likely  to  go  wrong  than  a  machine.  We  do  not  know  what 
instinct  is.  We  cannot  define  it.  No  matter  how  we  put  words  together,  they  will 
give  no  adequate  idea  of  what  this  blind  impulse  is.  We  cannot  weigh,  measure, 
see,  or  feel  what  is  called  gravity.  But  it  is  that  something  that  keeps  the  universe  in 
order ;  that  something,  in  the  ordering  of  the  Almighty,  that  prevents  one  world  from 
jostling  another,  and  creation  from  falling  into  confusion. 

Who  can  understand  how  the  Cicada  septendecim,  after  passing  nearly  seventeen 


56  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

years  underground,  should  come  to  the  surface  in  the  evening  of  a  certain  day  of 
the  month,  with  almost  exact  regularity,  generation  after  generation,  for  centuries  ? 
How  should  a  certain  kind  of  wasp  know,  that  when  she  builds  a  cell  of  mud  for  the 
reception  of  her  egg,  she  must  put  in  a  supply  of  insects  for  food  for  the  young  that 
will  be  born  of  that  egg,  and  that  on  a  certain  future  day  she  must  break  open  that 
cell,  and  give  her  young  a  fresh  supply?  Who  teaches  the  neuter  bee — that  .non- 
descript that  cannot  be  a  parent — how  to  fabricate  a  cell  for  the  young  of  another  ? 
Such  curious  instances  of  the  instincts  of  insects  could  be  multiplied  till  they  would  fill 
a  volume,  and  all  would  be  wonderful — equally  beyond  our  understanding,  but  all 
consistent  with  their  wants,  and  in  accord  with  the  rest  of  nature.  Those  who  care- 
fully observe  these  things  will  feel  that  they  are  in  a  world  overruled  by  an  Omnipre- 
sent Guide  of  all  things.  But  the  Superintending  Guide  that  teaches  the  little  Curculio 
to  deposit  her  eggs  in  fruits  where  the  future  young  will  find  food,  would  hardly 
give  her  an  instinct  to  guard  her  against  depositing  that  egg  where  fruits  never  grow 
except  on  trees  planted  contrary  to  nature. 

We  were  told  to-day  that  the  tides  were  sometimes  so  low  as  partially  to  drain 
this  pond,  and  it  was  then  the  Curculio  punctured  the  fruit  over  where  the  water 
should  be.  The  same  special  instinct  that  would  teach  her  to  avoid  the  water,  should 
also  admonish  her  to  avoid  the  danger  of  the  tide-water  mud,  the  one  being  as  fatal 
to  the  future  grub  as  the  other. 

Planting  fruit  trees  in  this  way  will  certainly  diminish  the  number  of  Curculios; 
but  as  long  as  millions  of  young  apples  are  permitted  to  lie  undisturbed  on  the 
ground  in  the  orchards  in  the  neighborhood,  to  bring  forth  their  vast  armies  for  the 
next  year,  it  will  hardly  be  worth  while  to  dig  such  ponds  and  plant  trees  round  them 
in  such  an  awkward  position  for  the  little  good  they  would  do.  The  embryo  Cur- 
culio in  the  fruit  that  falls  into  the  water  will  perish  undoubtedly ;  but  that  water,  or 
the  fear  of  it,  will  not  prevent  the  parent  using  that  fruit.  The  teachings  of  instinct 
are  so  exact  and  unvarying  that  one  punctured  plum  over  water  explodes  the  theory ; 
and  if  the  theory  is  correct,  a  tub  of  water  under  a  tree  must  protect  a  column  of 
plums  of  the  tub's  circumference  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  that  tree,  and  that 
certainly  would  be  a  curiosity  with  some  of  the  light-colored,  full-bearing  varieties. 

It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  many  will  plant  trees  in  this  way;  but  as  some  have 


THE    CURCULIO. 


57 


done  so,  I  have  been  thus  explicit  on  this  point,  to  guard  others  against  such  an 
expensive  and  awkward  way  of  trying  to  outgeneral  the  Curculio,  since  reason  and 
observation  teach  us  that  it  is  of  very  little  value. 

Salt  and  Lime  as  Curculio  Remedies. — In  Hovey's  Magazine  for  1851,  C.  Good- 
rich, of  Burlington,  Vt,  gives  the  following  experiments :  "  Flower-pots  were  filled 
with  garden  soil,  on  which  a  layer  of  fine  salt,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  was  depo- 
sited. On  this  bed  of  salt  were  laid  punctured  plums  containing  grubs  of  the  Curculio. 
The  grubs  came  out  of  the  plums,  and  passed  down  through  the  salt  into  the  soil,  from 
which  perfect  Curculios  emerged  some  weeks  afterwards.  The  same  result  took  place 
when  fresh  air-slacked  lime  was  substituted  for  salt,  and  where  soil  alone  was  used. 
The  pots  being  exposed  to  the  weather,  the  salt  was  soon  washed  into  the  soil,  but 
there  was  no  difference  in  the  appearance  of  all  the  insects." 

I  have  often  performed  such  experiments,  using  the  lime  and  salt  not  only 
singly,  but  mixed.  Ashes  have  been  tried,  flour  of  sulphur,  snuff;  but  none  of 
these  seemed  to  interfere  with  the  safe  transformation  of  the  grub  into  the  perfect 
Curculio.  The  placing  of  such  flower-pots  in  buildings  where  the  earth  would 
become  perfectly  dry,  gives  a  serious  check  to  this  process.  My  experience  has  been 
that  almost  every  one  perishes,  and  this  circumstance  should  be  constantly  borne  in 
mind  when  we  are  investigating  the  Curculio  remedies,  about  which  the  testimony 
is  so  conflicting.  There  are  seasons  when  the  ground  becomes  so  dry  that  almost 
the  entire  generation  of  this  insect  will  perish  from  this  cause.  The  next  year  the 
plums  will  be  but  little  injured  wherever  the  drought  prevailed  the  year  before. 
Remedies  used  in  such  seasons  may  possibly  receive  the  credit  they  are  not  entitled 
to  from  many  who  have  not  the  knowledge  to  trace  an  effect  to  its  cause. 

About  the  time  that  I  was  commencing  the  great  battle  with  this  insect  for  the 
protection  of  my  orchards  of  Plums  and  Apricots,  I  searched  the  books  and  agricultural 
papers  most  carefully  for  Curculio  remedies.  Washes  containing  lime  as  the  chief 
ingredient  were  often  found.  In  several  numbers  of  the  Horticulturist  there  were 
communications  from  T.  W.  Ludlow,  Jr.,  of  Yonkers,  on  the  Hudson  River,  N.  Y., 
so  circumstantial  that  it  really  seemed  as  if  the  long-look ed-for  remedy  had  been 
found.  I  tried  it  faithfully.  A  coating  of  this  lime  mixture,  thick  enough  to  make 
a  plum  look  as  a  man  does  when  his  head  is  being  moulded  for  his  bust,  would  protect 
them,  but  nothing  short  of  that  would.  Ordinary  whitewash  was  not  regarded  in  the 


58  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

least.  The  next  year,  about  the  middle  of  June,  I  visited  Mr.  L.  to  ascertain  how  it 
was  that  he  and  I  should  have  such  a  different  experience.  His  trees  were  white 
with  this  lime  mixture — they  had  been  fairly  deluged  with  it ;  but  the  fruit  was  badly 
punctured.  Fresh  marks  were  everywhere  visible,  gum  was  exuding  from  others, 
and  many  were  already  on  the  ground  containing  the  grubs  well  advanced  in  growth. 
Mr.  Ludlow  acknowledged  promptly  that  it  had  proved  a  failure  that  season,  and 
seemed  very  much  at  a  loss  to  understand  it.  At  that  time  I  was  not  aware  of  the 
influence  of  droughts,  and  did  not  inquire  whether  the  season,  when  his  remedy  had 
apparently  been  successful,  had  not  been  preceded  by  such  weather. 

Whether  Mr.  L.  ever  published  an  account  of  this  failure  I  do  not  know ;  but 
he  certainly  should  have  done  so,  that  those  who  had  been  induced  to  try  the  mixture 
from  his  recommendation  should  have  been  undeceived.  A  prompt  report  of  failures 
is  often  of  more  value  than  the  reports  of  success. 

In  the  Cultivator  of  May,  1851,  will  be  found  the  following  on  the  subject  of 
Lime  for  the  Curculio,  by  the  Horticultural  Editor,  J.  J.  Thomas  : 

"  Much  having  been  said  in  favor  of  lime  as  a  remedy  for  the  Curculio,  and  as  the  time  is  approaching 
for  its  yearly  assault  on  young  fruit,  the  knowledge  of  past  experiments  becomes  desirable.  A  near  neighbor 
— who  is  a  distinguished  fruit  raiser — tried  lime  in  nearly  all  imaginable  ways  last  year,  and  with  the  following 
results  :  Nectarines^  Plums,  and  Apricots  were  thoroughly  syringed  with  thin  lime  wash  ;  and  as  each 
successive  rain  and  heavy  dew  carried  it  off  from  the  smooth  surface  of  the  young  fruit,  it  was  re-applied  as 
often  as  necessary.  Special  attention  was  given  to  the  Nectarines,  which  for  six  years  of  blossoming  had 
yielded  no  crop ;  and  to  be  still  more  secure  against  this,  the  lime  was  applied  carefully  with  brush  to  each 
young  Nectarine.  About  three  days  in  the  aggregate  were  spent  in  this  way ;  and  the  result  was,  that  the 
full  number  of  six  entire  specimens  of  the  Nectarine  were  saved  from  destruction  out  of  the  whole  orchard. 
But  on  further  inquiry  it  appeared  that  these  six  all  grew  on  a  tree  under  which  a  young  calf  was  kept 
confined  during  the  season  of  operation  ;  and  to  whose  presence,  chiefly,  these  specimens  owed  their  escape. 

"  The  lime  was  believed  to  have  a  repelling  influence,  and  some  hopes  were  at  first  entertained  of  its 
efficacy  ;  but  it  was  soon  discovered  that  the  coating  was  disregarded,  and  the  eggs  were  thrust  through  it 
into  the  green  pulp.  The  whole  trees,  with  their  entire  crop  of  leaves  whitened  with  lime,  did  not  present 
a  very  ornamental  appearance.  v 

"  The  application  of  lime  appears  to  have  been  elsewhere  in  some  cases  quite  successful.  It  becomes  a 
subject  for  inquiry  whether  any  collateral  influence  assisted  it;  whether  the  favorable  result  was  not  owing  to 
something  else,  and  was  erroneously  ascribed  to  the  lime." 

Friend  Thomas,  with  such  evidence  before  him,  should  have  taken  the  respon- 
sibility of  pronouncing  judgment  in  this  case,  and  announced  that  lime  was  of  no  use 


THE    CURCULIO.  £Q 

Paving  to  prevent  the  Curculio. — This  is  one  of  the  remedies  about  which  so  much 
has  been  written,  and  some  who  have  tried  it  testify  so  positively  as  to  its  usefulness, 
that  it  will  be  proper  to  devote  some  space  to  its  consideration. 

In  the  horticulturist,  Vol.  iv.,  p.  62,  1849,  Lewis  F.  Allen,  of  Buffalo,  New 
York,  gives  a  long  article  about  Lyman  A.  Spaulding's  plan  at  Lockport,  which  he 
considered  successful.  The  Editor  of  the  Horticulturist  (Downing)  testifies  to  the 
plan  as  being  excellent.  • 

At  page  128,  of  the  same  volume,  H.  W.  S.  Cleveland,  of  Burlington,  New 
Jersey,  writes  to  show  that  "  Paving  is  not  a  preventive?  And  the  Editor  says  it  will 
not  answer  in  all  cases.  Probably  only  where  the  Curculio  is  not  very  abundant. 

The  following  is  from  the  same  volume,  p.  244 : 

"  Paving  Plum  Trees. — Mr.  Downing :  Paving  about  Plum  trees  to  thwart  the  Curculio  always 
appeared  to  me  to  be  the  sheerest  nonsense.  Whether  they  fly  or  not,  the  value  is  precisely  the  same.  It 
presents  no  obstacle  to  wings,  and  certainly  facilitates  progress  to  legs.  Why  won't  gentlemen  who  are  so 
fond  of  recommending  it,  try  the  same  experiment  with  their  Cherry  trees,  to  keep  off  the  birds,  or  build 
bridges  over  their  garden  fences  to  prevent  the  inroads  of  unruly  boys,  and  enrich  us  with  the  record  of  their 
sagacity  ?  If  the  Curculio  passes  up  the  body  of  the  tree,  as  is  claimed  to  be  '  conceded,'  why  not  invest 
funds  to  the  extent  of  a  cent  per  tree  in  tar  ?  A  sum  not  so  exorbitant  but  most  plum-growers  might  be 
tempted  to  risk  it ;  and  the  expedient  would  certainly  be  more  embarrassing  to  footsteps  than  brick 
pavement. 

"  The  true  worth  of  a  recommendation  for  the  preservation  of  fruit,  in  addition  to  being  effectual,  is  its 
capability  of  universal  application.  Paving,  at  $3  per  tree,  is  as  generally  impracticable,  and  would  be  as 
rarely  adopted,  as  inclosing  trees  in  glass  houses.  Its  expensiveness  and  doubtful  utility  at  least  condemn  it. 

"  There  is  nothing  known  of  the  nature  of  the  Curculio  opposed  to  the  probability  that,  having  wings, 
they  fly,  if  necessary,  to  perpetuate  their  race  ;  nor  of  the  grub,  that,  having  legs,  they  also  have  wit 
enough  to  convey  themselves,  after  escaping  from  the  fallen  fruit,  from  where  they  can't  burrow  to  where 
they  can,  though  in  passing  over  pavements  they  sometimes  doubtless  perish,  like  bigger  worms  over  the 
deserts  of  Sahara.  The  sagacity  of  the  Cur^lio  provides  against  this  difficulty,  where  it  is  possible,  by  the 
selection  of  localities  more  favorable  to  the  prosperity  of  the  rising  generation. 

"Hence,  paved  trees  are  shunned  where  others  can  be  found.  Let  all  be  paved,  and  all  would  suffer. 
I  venture  to  predict  that,  unless  Mr.  Spaulding  of  Lockport  has  near  neighbors,  whose  plum  trees  are  not 
paved,  every  one  of  his  own  will  hereafter  be  attacked.  By  cultivating  two  sets — one  for  himself  and 
another  for  the  Curculio — he  has  hitherto  preserved  his  share  ;  but  by  paving  the  whole,  I  am  mistaken  if  he 
will  not  be  the  loser.  Paving,  on  such  terms,  may  by  some  be  considered  advisable ;  but  I  don't  apprehend 

a  scarcity  of  brick  will  grow  out  of  it. — J.  C.  H.,  Syracuse,  Sept.  18,  1849." 

8 


60  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

At  page  246  of  the  same  volume,  Mr.  Longworth,  of  Cincinnati,  commences 
a  defence  of  the  paving  plan : 

"  The  Curcvlio. — A  correspondent  of  yours,  for  a  single  year,  tried  paving  to  save  his  plums  from 
the  Curculio,  and  failed ;  and  therefore  concludes,  paving  is  not  a  preventive.  He  is  confirmed  in  this 
opinion,  because  '  the  insect  has  wings ;  and  presumes,  as  the  pavement  insured  a  crop  with  Mr.  Allen,  that 
his  plums  belonged  to  the  Dutch  family.' 

"  It  appears  to  me  singular,  that  persons  will,  from  a  single  year's  experience,  undertake  to  express  an 
opinion.  I  have  for  twenty-two  years  had  about  twenty  plum  trees  surrounded  by  a  brick  pavement,  and 
have  never  failed  to  have  a  crop  of  fruit  from  them.  A  few  of  the  fruits,  in  some  varieties,  are  occasion- 
ally stung  by  the  Curculio.  In  my  adjoining  grounds  I  have  as  many  trees  of  the  same  varieties  ;  and  two 
years  out  of  the  twenty-five,  have  had  a  fair  crop  of  fruit.  The  other  twenty-three  years  the  Curculio  left 
not  a  single  plum.  The  safety  of  the  fruit  in  a  pavement  does  not  arise  from  no  Curculio  being  bred  in  the 
ground.  If  a  person  does  not  raise  them  his  neighbors  will  give  him  a  liberal  supply.  As  an  experiment,  I 
planted  a  small  plum  tree,  1000  feet  from  any  plum  tree.  The  first  year  of  its  bearing  every  plum  was 
stuftg  by  the  Curculio,  and  for  years  after.  The  safety  of  a  pavement  arises  from  the  instinct  of  the  insect. 
It  will  rarely  deposit  its  eggs  over  a  pavement ;  as  the  young,  when  they  fall  from  the  tree,  cannot  secure 
winter  quarters  in  the  earth.  The  mother  feels  too  strong  an  interest  in  the  children  to  subject  them  to 
such  a  fate. — N.  LONCWORTH,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  September,  1849." 

In  the  Horticulturist,  vol.  vi.,  page  243,  N.  Longworth  speaks  again  of  the 
paving  plan — thinks  the  Curculio  is  timid,  and  afraid  of  pigs,  poultry,  and  people. 
And  in  the  same  volume,  page  374,  Mr.  L.  alludes  again  to  his  practice  of  paving; 
repeats  that  the  insect  is  a  timid  one,  and  says  the  proximity  of  his  trees  to  the  house, 
where  persons  are  constantly  passing,  may  aid  in  keeping  off  the  Curculio. 

In  the  same  volume,  page  383,  Wm.  Quant,  gardener  to  W.  C.  Langly,  Esq., 
Third  Avenue,  Long  Island,  has  a  short  article.  He  says  he  has  had  a  long  battle 
with  the  pest,  and  when  he  sees  the  accounts  of  success,  he  wants  to  be  invited  "  to 
come  and  see  and  believe."  He  says  also  that  he  was  at  one  time  a  gardener  for  Mr. 
Longworth,  and  that  the  reported  success  of  the  pavement  plan  there  was  not  true. 

In  vol.  viii.,  page  428,  the  Hon.  James  Matthews  comes  out  with  a  remedy, 
but  it  having  cost  so  much  time,  etc.,  etc.,  he  wants  something  before  it  can  be 
made  known.  There  are  numerous  allusions  to  the  Matthews  plan.  The  New  York 
State  Agricultural  Society  appoint  a  committee  to  examine  it,  and  the  editor  of 
the  Country  Gentleman  is  one  of  the  members.  The  people  become  impatient,  and 
call  upon  the  committee  to  report ;  but  the  Country  Gcntknun  replies — that  the 


THE    CURCULIO.  6l 

plan  is  a  secret  and  cannot  be  explained — that  they  want  more  time,  but  recom- 
mend the  pigs  and  jarring  process.  I  have  been  able  to  find  a  few  more  allusions 
to  this  Matthews  remedy,  but  have  never  seen  the  report  of  the  Committee. 
Once  in  the  garden  of  a  friend  I  noticed  a  peculiar  kind  of  pavement  under 
his  Plum  trees,  apparently  made  of  small  stones,  or  chippings  from  a  quarry,  and 
cement.  I  was  left  to  infer  that  it  was  a  specimen  of  the  Matthews  plan — but  it  was 
a  secret. 

The  whole  system  of  paving  as  a  remedy  for  saving  fruit  has  so  generally  gone 
out  of  use,  of  course  from  its  want  of  success,  that  it  will  not  be  worth  while  to  say 
much  more  about  it.  My  near  neighbor,  Mr.  Pierson,  tried  it  most  faithfully  under 
the  immediate  directions  of  Mr.  Longworth  himself  (who  often  visited  Newark), 
but  without  the  slightest-  effect. 

This,  like  planting  over  water,  was  supposed  to  be  effectual,  in  consequence  of 
the  instinct  of  the  Curculio  teaching  her  not  to  deposit  her  eggs  where  her  young 
would  be  in  danger.  We  have  seen  that  the  Curculio  throws  herself  to  the  ground 
when  disturbed.  If  she  falls  upon  a  pavement,  and  poultry  are  about,  she  is  certainly 
more  liable  to  be  caught.  So  also  with  the  grub.  It  passes  into  the  ground  at  once 
upon  leaving  the  young  fruit — if  it  can ;  but  upon  a  pavement  that  would  be  diffi- 
cult— it  would  be  a  longer  time  exposed  to  its  enemies.  The  grub  of  the  Curculio 
laboriously  at  work  on  a  pavement  in  a  poultry-yard,  would  have  a  poor  chance  for 
life. 

But  that  the  Curculio  will  abstain  from  the  use  of  fruit  because  it  grows  over  a 
pavement,  I  do  not  believe.     It  is  certainly  not  an  established  fact. 

In  the  Cultivator  of  June,  1852,  is  the  following  communication  relative  to  the 
Curculio  in  Michigan: 

"  I  propose  to  speak  of  the  progress  of  the  Curculio  in  Southern  Michigan.  I  have  been  a  resident 
of  Lenawee  county  for  the  last  eighteen  years.  The  first  depredations  of  this  insect  commenced  about  six 
years  ago,  the  first  season  attacking  a  few  only  of  our  choicest  Plums ;  the  succeeding  year  they  were  more 
numerous,  and  since,  continuing  from  year  to  year,  puncturing  every  variety  of  Plums,  and  also  Cherries,  to 
considerable  extent,  and  in  some  instances  Peaches,  and  even  Apples.  All  reputed  remedies  have  utterly 
failed  to  save  the  fruit  the  last  season.  Previous  to  last  year,  those  who  were  careful  to  jar  their  trees  daily 
lor  two  or  three  weeks,  and  to  destroy  the  captured  rebels,  succeeded  in  saving  a  portion  of  their  fruit. 
But  the  last  season,  this  practice  too  was  an  entire  failure,  even  when  persevered  in  for  months.  In  some 


62  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

sections  of  our  country  confining  hogs  in  the  plum  orchards  has  been  thought  advantageous,  and  which  has 
been  the  practice  of  the  writer  with  signal  success  until  within  two  years — my  hogs  being  regularly  fed  under 
one  tree,  treading  the  ground  so  much  as  to  destroy  all  vegetation — this  tree  retained  its  fruit  until  ripening, 
excepting  last  year. 

"  The  cultivators  of  this  fruit  are  entirely  discouraged.  One  object  in  this  communication  is  to  inquire, 
through  the  Cultivator,  if  the  Curculio  has  ever  been  known  to  absent  itself  from  any  district  where  it  has 
been  known  to  be  prevalent — if  not,  then  we  may  as  well  cut  down  our  trees  at  once. 

"  Before  the  appearance  of  this  insect,  finer  Plums  were  never  grown,  perhaps,  than  in  this  section,  fine 
crops  being  obtained  from  grafting  on  the  wild  plum  (Prunus  Americana)  in  three  or  four  years'  time. 

"ADRIAN,  February,  1852.  B.  J.  H." 

The  above  is  a  remarkably  straightforward  account,  and  is  valuable  as  showing 
the  time  of  the  appearance  and  the  subsequent  progress  of  this  insect  in  a  new  country. 
Last  year  ( 1 864)  there  was  a  section  of  country  around  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  only 
plums  and  peaches  appeared  to  suffer  from  this  insect,  the  apples  escaping.  I  sup- 
posed the  wonderful  exemption  of  that  neighborhood  was  owing  to  a  partial  drought 
in  the  season  preceding;  it  was  so  like  what  I  have  seen  and  heard  of  so  often  before. 
I  would  let  the  trees  stand,  even  if  nothing  else  should  be  done  to  save  the  plums 
except  to  wait  for  favoring  weather.  It  appears  that  the  tree  under  which  the  hogs 
were  so  constantly  fed  was  the  last  to  yield  to  the  enemy.  David  Thomas's  account 
of  his  experience  in  jarring,  as  shown  in  the  preceding  chapter,  will  probably  explain 
the  cause  of  the  failure  when  "  persevered  in  for  months." 

In  the  same  number  of  the  Cultivator  from  which  the  above  extract  is  taken, 
there  is  a  short  account  from  the  Prairie  Farmer,  of  a  man  who  kept  his  hogs  in  his 
Plum  Orchard  for  seven  years  in  succession,  during  which  time  he  had  plenty  of  fruit, 
though  none  came  to  maturity  outside  of  that  orchard ;  but  on  changing  the  hogs  to 
another  part  of  the  farm  every  plum  was  stung. 

In  the  Genesee  Farmer  of  1848,  p.  1 14,  is  an  article  from  the  Horticulturist,  in  which 
it  is  said  that  "  a  heap  of  fresh  manure  under  the  trees  proved  a  remedy,  and  the 
Editor  (A.  J.  Downing)  gives  his  testimony  to  this  plan,  by  stating  that  two  Nectarine 
trees,  standing  by  a  fence  near  his  stable,  bore  fruit  to  ripen,  when  other  trees  within 
a  short  distance  shed  all  theirs  in  consequence  of  being  stung  by  the  Curculio."  This 
question  of  the  influence  of  manure  or  other  strong  smells  under  trees,  for  repelling 
the  Curculio,  has  been  more  or  less  discussed  from  that  time  till  now.  I  have  tried 


THE      CURCUUO.  63 

/ 

the  experiment  often,  but  with  no  perceptible  effect.     It  might  here  be  asked,  does 
any  one  know  that  a  Curculio  is  conscious  of  a  smell  from  a  manure  heap  ? 

C.  E.  G.,  of  Utica,  writes  to  the  Cultivator,  March,  1850  : — "  Having  read,  some- 
where, that  fresh  stable  manure  put  round  fruit  trees  in  flower  would  repel  the 
Curculio,  I  put  some  round  my  Plum  trees.  As  I  had  to  take  the  manure  when  it 
was  offered  for  sale,  I  was  obliged  to  apply  it  a  little  earlier  than  I  desired.  Soon 
after  a  heavy  rain  fell,  washing,  of  course,  the  soluble  portion  of  the  manure  down 
upon  the  roots  of  the  trees.  Quite  a  number  of  valuable  bearing  trees  died  outright, 
and  a  number  more  were  seriously  injured.  This  was  dear-bought  experience."  He 
says  further,  "  I  doubt  the  feasibility  of  this  plan  of  repelling  the  Curculio.  If  the 
weather  be  dry  or  windy  it  can  do  very  little  good  unless  the  quantity  be  large,  and 
then  you  endanger  your  tree." 

In  the  Horticulturist,  Vol.  x.,  p.  1 89,  a  friend  of  the  editor  proposes  to  flood  the 
Peach  Orchard  once  or  twice  a  day,  and  drown  the  scamps ;  and  the  editor  wants 
him  to  try  it.  In  the  same  Vol.,  p.  357,  Henry  Croft,  Vice-President  of  the  Toronto 
Horticultural  Society,  C.  W.,  recommends  the  use  of  the  sulphuretted  waters,  such 
as  that  of  Avon.  These  might  be  called  the  Hydropathic  remedies. 

In  the  same,  p.  479,  John  Brush,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  proposes  branches  of 
Tansy  to  be  placed  in  the  crotches  of  the  trees.  He  had  found  it  successful.  But 
the  Editor  says  in  reply  that  all  he  had  been  able  to  save  was  by  the  use  of  Milliner.. 
As  to  the  latter,  my  neighbor,  Mr.  Pierson,  has  tried  100  yards  of  it  at  one  time, 
enveloping  the  entire  tree ;  but  the  Curculios  would  find  their  way  in. 

In  the  same,  p.  431,  Mr.  J.  R.  Gardner,  of  Sunny  Side,  Montgomery  Co.,  Va., 
piles  small  stones  round  his  trees — it  is  successful.  He  does  it  because  he  has  seen 
trees  growing  among  stones  in  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  Ohio  Cultivator,  1850,  vol.  vi.,  p.  189,  Z.  Hampton,  of  Pennsville,  Mor- 
gan Co.,  O.,  says :  "  Caleb  Hall,  a  respectable  citizen  of  Muskingum  Co.,  thinks 
he  has  found  a  preventive  for  the  ravages  of  the  Curculio.  Those  wishing  to  save 
their  plums,  I  think,  will  do  well  to  try,  and  now  is  the  time.  His  method  is  to 
melt  brimstone,  into  which  dip  woollen  rags  cut  into  slips,  say  three  or  four  inches 
wide  and  five  or  six  inches  long,  stick  them  one  at  a  time  on  the  end  of  a  pole  of 
sufficient  length,  split  a  little  at  one  end  to  receive  them,  set  on  fire  about  dark,  and 
hold  them  burning  under  and  among  the  bearing  branches  a  few  minutes,  two  or 


64  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

three  evenings  each  week,  for  three  or  four  weeks,  by  which  he  has  saved  his  plums, 
so  as  to  sell  over  sixty  dollars'  worth  a  year."  I  fear  Friend  Hall  is  one  who  is  in 
the  practice  of  killing  his  bees  by  fumigating  with  burning  brimstone,  and  believes 
the  Curculio  can  be  killed  in  the  same  way.  So  it  can.  If  he  will  make  a  box 
large  enough  to  cover  each  tree,  and  as  tight  as  a  bee-hive,  and  then  fill  it  with  the 
fumes  of  his  burning  matches,  until  brimstone  will  no  longer  burn  in  it  for  want  of 
oxygen,  the  Curculios  will  probably  be  in  very  much  the  same  condition  that  bees 
are,  after  such  a  Satanic  visitation ;  but  the  effect  would  be  very  bad  upon  the  trees. 
There  was  some  other  cause  besides  an  occasional  smell  of  brimstone  that  kept  the 
Curculios  from  Friend  Hall's  Plums. 

The  Cultivator  of  Sept.,  1847,  states,  that — "  Some  time  ago  a  remedy  was  pro- 
posed in  the  Ohio  Cultivator,  on  the  authority  of  Gen.  J.  T.  Worthington,  consisting 
of  tubs,  whitewashed  inside,  and  containing  an  inch  of  water,  placed  under  the  trees 
in  the  night,  with  a  lighted  candle  in  each."  The  light  attracts  them,  and  it  was 
averred  that  " hundreds  had  been  caught  in  this  way,  in  one  night,  in  a  single  tul"  and 
that  it  had  been  practised  with  much  success  by  "  one  or  more "  fruit-growers  of 
Chillicothe. 

In  a  subsequent  number  of  that  paper,  J.  Dille,  an  intelligent  nurseryman, 
states  that  he  has  "  tried  this  remedy  without  any  success  whatever ;  that  some  of 
these  insects  were  under  water  half  an  hour,  without  any  apparent  inconvenience ; 
and  that  they  ascended  the  side  of  the  tub  as  readily  as  a  sailor  would  a  rope."  Not 
many  would  have  had  the  patience  to  try  this  experiment,  as  Mr.  Dille  did.  We 
thank  him  for  thus  promptly  proving  and  recording  its  worthlessness. 

If  there  were  a  person  connected  with  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the 
Government  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  test  the  merits  of  new  things,  it  might  often 
do  much  good.  I  write  a  great  deal  by  lamplight  on  summer  evenings.  I  have 
caught  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  insects  that  have  been  attracted  by  my  light,  but 
I  never  yet  have  caught  a  Curculio  in  that  way.  .1  have  been  in  the  habit,  for 
years,  of  carrying  a  small  vial  of  Curculios  in  my  pocket  Sometimes  I  meet  a 
person  who  talks  as  if  he  knew  all  about  the  Curculio.  At  the  proper  time  my 
vial  comes  out  for  information,  but  the  insects  are  seldom  recognised.  Even  Agri- 
cultural editors  do  not  always  know  what  they  are.  Very  likely  General  Worthing- 
ton's  friend  would  be  equally  at  a  loss. 


THE    CURCULIO.  65 

On  the  same  page  of  the  Cultivator  is  the  following  short  notice  : — "  A.  J. 
Downing  recommended,  in  the  Horticulturist,  throwing  up  the  ground  late  in  autumn 
in  trenches  and  ridges,  for  the  purpose  of  freezing  them,  and  stated  that  a  correspondent 
had  found  it  quite  successful.  The  writer  tried  this  same  way  last  fall,  but  this  year 
they  were  thicker  than  ever.  On  one  little  tree  of  the  Italian  Damask  Plum,  not 
seven  feet  high,  thus  treated,  eighteen  Curculios  were  found  at  a  single  shaking." 
The  grub  of  the  Curculio  goes  into  the  ground  several  inches,  and  there  it  changes 
to  a  beetle,  and  this  beetle  comes  to  the  surface,  showing  that  as  a  beetle  it  has  a 
power  of  making  its  way  through  the  ground.  Had  Mr.  Downing  known  positively 
whether  the  Curculio  lives  above  or  under  ground  in  the  winter,  it  would  have  been 
a  beginning  for  an  investigation  of  facts  on  which  to  found  this  treatment.  If  these 
insects  live  under  ground  in  the  winter — how  far,  exactly  ?  and  if  brought  to  the 
surface  in  the  autumn,  would  they  not  creep  back  again  ?  or  if  they  did  not,  would 
the  winter  kill  them  ? 

In  the  Ohio  Cultivator,  1849, 'vol.  v->  Page  42>  George  W.  Dunn,  of  Chillicothe, 
writes  : 

"  This  is  frequently  called  an  age  of  improvements.  It  may  be  also  called  the  age  of  oddities,  one  of 
which  I  will  send  you  for  the  public  benefit.  I  am  acquainted  with  a  Highland  County  farmer  of  the  name 
of  Martin,  who  is  well  known  in  the  neighborhood  for  growing  fine  plums.  A  few  weeks  ago  his  son  was  at 
my  house,  and  I  asked  him  how  they  could  raise  such  fine  plums  when  no  one  else  could.  He  replied,  that 
as  soon  as  the  fruit  was  formed,  they  took  a  pocket-knife  and  made  a  slit  through  the  bark,  through  the  main 
stem  and  larger  limbs  of  the  tree,  and  this,  he  said,  was  all." 

Now,  strange  as  it  appears,  this  was  actually  published  in  a  respectable  Agricul- 
tural paper,  and  the  man  who  wrote  it  said  he  intended  to  try  it  himself.  That  was 
in  Ohio,  in  1849.  Here  is  something  from  a  Norristown,  Penn.,  paper,  in  1863: 

"  How  to  Prevent  the  Curculio  from  Destroying  Plums. — A  perfectly  reliable  man  who  lives  in  this 
vicinity,  was  telling  me,  a  few  days  since,  how  he  managed  to  raise  Plums.  He  says,  just  as  the  trees  are 
coming  into  full  bloom,  he  takes  a  ragged  stone  and  bruises  the  bark  in  the  crotches  of  the  trees  j  he  leaves 
the  stone  there.  That,  he  says,  arrests  the  gum  which  will  exude  from  the  wounded  place,  and  prevents  its 
going  to  fruit,  thus  cutting  off"  what  he  supposes  to  be  the  food  for  the  larvae.  He  says  he  has  tried  it  for 
many  years,  and  never  fails  when  the  trees  blossom,  except  when  he  neglects  to  bruise.  My  informer  says, 
do  not  be  afraid  of  hurting  plum-trees  by  bruising  them ;  he  says  the  more  they  are  bruised  the  more  they 


66  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

will   bear.     Now,  my  friends,  try  some  of  your  old  lazy  plum-trees ;  give  them  a  regular  trouncing,  and 
report  results." 

We  all  know  what  Captain  Cuttle  said  of  his  friend  Jack  Bunsby's  judgments, 
'*  wisdom  as  is  wisdom."  Even  so  we  may  characterize  a  communication  from  A.  C. 
Hubbard,  in  a  late  number  of  the  Michigan  Farmer,  telling  of  some  one  who  had  been 
told  by  an  "  old  Frenchman,"  that  he  must  hang  elder-bushes  in  his  trees.  He  did  it, 
and  had  plenty  of  plums.  So  Herman  Dousterswivel,  by  means  of  "  suffumigations," 
found  a  casket  of  gold  and  silver  coins  in  Misticot's  grave.  To  faith  like  this,  the  witch- 
hazel  tells  where  to  dig  for  water,  and  a  horse-shoe  nailed  over  the  door  insures  good  luck. 

Those  readers  who  have  had  the  patience  to  follow  me  through  the  last  few 
pages,  may  suppose  that  such  articles  can  only  be  found  in  obscure  newspapers. 
Read  the  following : 

"  To  Prevent  Fruit  from  being  Wormy. — I  have  a  communication  to  make  in  reference  to  the  worm 
nuisance.  You  will,  I  think,  receive  the  thanks  of  two  cities  by  publishing  the  following : 

"  With  a  large  gimblet  or  auger  bore  into  the  body  of  the  tree,  just  below  where  the  limbs  start,  in 
three  places,  a  groove  inclining  downwards.  With  a  small  funnel  pour  a  shilling's  worth  of  quicksilver  into 
each  groove.  Peg  it  up  closely,  and  watch  the  result.  Had  it  been  done  when  the  sap  first  started  on  its 
upward  circuit  it  would  have  been  more  efficacious — yet,  even  now,  it  will  greatly  abate  the  nuisance. 

"The  plan  was  first  tried  for  a  wormy  apple-tree  by  Samuel  Jones,  Esq.,  of  Canaan,  Columbia  county, 
New  York,  and  with  entire  success.  It  is  believed  that,  far  from  damaging  the  trees,  it  will  even  add  to  the 
beauty  of  the  foliage.  In  the  case  of  the  fruit  above  mentioned  the  cure  was  surprising,  not  only  the  fruit 
becoming  perfect  and  beautiful,  but  the  very  leaf  seemed  to  be  larger  and  far  more  dark  and  glossy. 

"  Any  one  desiring  further  particulars  (though  no  other  is  needed  for  doctoring  our  city  trees),  is 
referred  to  an  eye-witness,  the  daughter  of  the  above  named  gentleman,  at  225  Union  street,  Brooklyn. 

"  BROOKLYN,  May  j.  A  CONSTANT  READER." 

When  such  nonsense  can  find  its  way  into  a  paper  like  the  New  Tork  Evening 
Post,  it  may  be  asked — What  are  the  people  to  do  ? 

Crude  quicksilver  is  as  harmless  as  water  until  it  undergoes  some  chemical 
change,  and  this  it  cannot  experience  when  plugged  up  in  wood.  But  suppose 
it  should  change  into  corrosive  sublimate,  and  so  much  of  it  get  into  the  circulation 
of  that  tree  as  to  poison  it,  how  is  it  to  interfere  with  the  insects  ?  They  know 
enough  not  to  eat  poisonous  food,  and  will  not  remain  on  a  dying  tree. 

Every  year  many  accounts  go  the  rounds  of  the  papers,  that  some  one  has  saved 


THE    CURCULIO.  j 

his  Plums  by  plugging  sulphur  in  his  trees.  Others  are  equally  successful  by  simply 
driving  in  nails.  Here,  too,  faith  is  necessary — without  it,  they  are  certainly  useless. 
Some  cover  the  bodies  of  their  trees  with  tar,  that  the  Curculio  may  be  stuck  fast 
when  travelling  up  and  down.  I  have  tried  this,  and  a  few  have  been  caught,  but 
tar  soon  becomes  so  glazed  that  they  can  travel  over  it  without  danger,  and  to  be  of 
any  use  it  must  be  constantly  repeated.  Tar  applied  directly  to  the  bark  of  a  tree, 
even  if  only  a  narrow  belt,  will  often  injure,  if  not  kill  it.  Cotton,  or  cotton  bats,  are 
sometimes  bound  round  the  trunks  or  larger  branches  of  fruit  trees,  so  as  to  make  it 
hard  travelling  for  these  little  insects.  Some  make  little  troughs  of  tin,  and  fill  them 
with  oil,  and  fit  them  to  the  trees,  and  all  the  Curculios  that  are  so  incautious  as  to 
fall  into  this  oil  will  be  killed.  Insects  have  a  breathing  apparatus — air  is  as  necessary 
to  them  as  to  us — it  is  the  breath  of  life ;  the  openings  to  their  lungs  are  numerous 
and  are  on  their  sides — oil  closes  them  instantly,  and  then  they  die.  Had  the  Cur- 
culio no  wings  these  last  remedies  would  seem  to  be  effectual  in  theory. 

Plums  are  brought  to  the  New  York  market  in  large  quantities  almost  every 
year ;  some  seasons  in  great  abundance.  The  usual  varieties  are  the  Damsons,  Horse 
Plums,  Frost  Gages,  and  other  more  common  sorts.  They  are  often  packed  in  bar- 
rels, and  although  roughly  handled  they  are  generally  but  little  bruised,  being  too  hard 
for  that.  The  plums  alluded  to  in  these  pages  would  be  as  different  from  these  as 
"Stump  the  World"  peaches  are  from  green  persimmons.  I  am  often  asked 
where  all  these  plums  come  from,  and  is  there  no  Curculio  there  ?  They  are 
shipped  from  Catskill  and  other  places  on  both  sides  of  the  Hudson  River,  and  are 
said  to  come  from  the  mountains  twenty  and  thirty  miles  back.  There  are  neighbor- 
hoods in  Albany,  Schenectady,  and  Washington  counties,  N.  Y.,  where  it  is  rumored 
that  plums  always  escape  the  Curculio.  I  have  often  visited  places  with  such  repu- 
tations, in  the  hope  of  finding  the  promised  land,  but  have  always  seen  more  or  less 
evidence  of  the  presence  of  the  Curculio.  Still  there  is  a  difference  in  different 
localities,  as  to  the  extent  of  the  injury  done  by  these  insects. 

In  the  City  of  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  I  have  seen  trees  bearing  fair  crops  of  plums 
every  year,  even  of  the  better  and  more  delicate  kinds.  One  old  cultivator  told  me 
that  the  Curculio  was  rather  useful  than  otherwise.  It  was  there  certainly,  and  took 
a  portion  of  the  crop ;  but  always  left  enough,  and  those  which  remained  were  the 


68  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

larger  for  the  thinning  out.  The  soil  here,  as  in  many  other  places  along  the  Hud- 
son River,  is  the  stiffest  and  most  tenacious  clay.  Bricks  are  made  there.  Cisterns 
have  been  dug  in  this  city  that  required  no  walls,  the  cement  being  applied  directly 
to  the  clay  itself.  In  this  kind  of  ground  the  grub  of  the  Curculio  is  unable  to  work 
fur  down,  and  such  soils  suffer  more  from  droughts  than  any  others.  The  Curculio, 
in  passing  through  its  transformation,  will  consequently  more  frequently  perish  in  this 

4» 

than  in  other  soils.  In  this  way  the  comparative  exemption  of  neighborhoods  may  be 
accounted  for.  We  may  often  see  the  Damsons,  Little  Gages,  Petite  Mirabelle,  and 
other  varieties  of  the  very  small  kinds  of  plums,  that  bear  such  prodigious  crops, 
bring  as  large  a  portion  to  maturity  as  Cherry  trees  do,  after  losing  much  of  the  fruit 
from  the  Curculio ;  and  persons  not  accustomed  to  investigate  these  matters,  would 
be  likely  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  these  varieties  were  either  entirely  exempt, 
or  that  there  was  no  Curculio  there.  If  I  intended  to  make  a  business  of  cultivating 
plums,  I  certainly  would  choose  a  clay  soil,  and  the  stiffer  the  better ;  and  I  should 
prefer  that  all  my  neighbors  for  many  miles  should  also  live  on  just  such  a  soil,  unless 
they  would  all  unite  with  me  in  forming  a  Fruit-growers'  society,  that  would  tho- 
roughly exterminate  the  insect  pests  that  interfere  with  the  success  of  this  business. 

In  the  Gcnesee  Farmer,  1851,  p.  96,  we  read  that  Mr.  Harvey  Green,  of  Jefferson 
Valley,  Westchester  Co.,  N.  Y.,  "  says  he  repels  the  Curculio  by  tying  up  straw  in 
bundles  as  large  as  his  arm,  takes  a  long  handle,  sets  the  straw  on  fire,  and  passes 
quickly  round  the  tree.  They  fly  into  the  blaze  and  perish.  Mr.  Green  says  he 
gives  it  for  what  it  is  worth."  This  might  have  been  worth  something  if  Mr.  Harvey 
Green  had  proved  that  he  knew  a  Curculio  when  he  saw  it,  and  that  he  was  sure  that 
the  insects  that  flew  into  the  blaze  and  perished  were  genuine  Curculios.  My  expe- 
rience has  been,  that  a  disturbed  Curculio  does  not  often  attempt  to  fly  away,  but 
falls  to  the  ground. 

W.  N.  Read,  of  Port  Dalhousie,  Canada  West,  writes  in  the  Gcnesct  Farmer, 
1853,  p.  125:  "It  would  have  done  you  good  had  you  seen  my  Jeffersons,  Wash- 
ingtons,  Hulings'  Superbs,  Green  Gages,  Columbias,  Golden  Drops,  Apricots,  and 
Nectarines,  last  year,  all  bending  under  a  tremendous  load  of  the  finest  fruits  ever 
beheld  in  the  neighborhood  of  Port  Dalhousie,  saved  as  follows :  Placed  two  or 
three  well-made  wind-mills  in  the  head  of  each  tree,  with  a  clapper  attached  to  each, 
which  struck  upon  a  piece  of  sheet  iron,  and  when  the  wind  blew  kept  up  a  terrible 


THE    CURCULIO.  60 

jingling  noise  ;  one  and  a  half  yards  of  flag  tied  up  so  as  to  float  nicely  in  the  air  as 
close  to  the  tree  as  possible  without  touching  it;  and,  lastly,  when  dinner  was  over 
each  day,  I  would  catch  up  a  sheet  made  for  the  purpose,  and  say,  '  Come,  boys,  hold 
the  sheet,'  and  I  would  jar  the  trees,  and  kill  all  that  fell  upon  it.  Operations  to 
commence  as  soon  as  the  blossoms  have  fallen,  and  continued  until  the  stone  became 
hard  in  the  fruit,  after  which  the  Curculio  cannot  make  it  drop,  though  some  half  or 
one-sided  fruit  will  appear  by  his  work,  but  will  be  small  and  hardly  be  missed."  As 
wind-mills  are  at  rest  except  when  the  wind  blows,  and  as  the  Curculio  does  the  chief 
part  of  her  mischief  in  the  stillest  weather,  I  think  wind-mills,  even  with  clappers, 
cannot  be  relied  on.  And  as  to  the  flags,  I  do  not  believe  that  the  little  Turk  cares 
one  straw  for  all  the  flags  that  fly  in  all  the  British  dominions.  It  was  the  "  Come, 
boys,"  that  saved  the  JefFersons  at  Port  Dalhousie. 

In  the  Genesce  Farmer  of  1845,  p.  91,  is  the  following  short  article  taken  from  the 
"  Maine  Cultivator." 

"  The  Curculio,  or  Green  Moth,  which  commences  its  ravages  on  the  Plum  about  the  first  week  in 
June,  by  depositing  its  eggs  in  the  fruit  while  it  is  yet  in  its  infant  state,  can  be  easily  exterminated  by 
preparing  a  mixture  in  the  proportion  of  a  bushel  of  wood-ashes  to  a  quart  of  soot  and  half  a  pound  of 
sulphur,  applied  in  the  morning  while  the  dew  is  on  the  fruit,  in  a  sufficient  quantity  to  coat  the  tree."  And 
the  Editor  says,  "  The  remedy  presented  is  an  easy  one,  and  if  effectual  will  be  of  great  value.  The 
Curculio  has  long  and  justly  been  considered  one  of  the 'most  troublesome  depredators  upon  the  fruit  orchard, 
and  its  destruction  is  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished." 

The  above  is  replied  to  in  the  same  volume,  p.  103. 

"  The  Curculio. — MR.  EDITOR  :  In  your  last  number  I  saw  an  article  copied  from  the  Maine  Cultiva- 
tor, professing  to  give  a  '  remedy  against  the  Curculio,'  and  names  the  destructive  as  a  'green  moth.'  (! !) 

"  It  is  not  a  matter  of  wonder  that  every  person  does  not  know  what  a  Curculio  is ;  but  it  is  a  matter 
of  wonder  that  constant  readers  of  agricultural  papers,  most  of  which  have  again  and  again  described  and 
treated  of  this  insect,  and  given  engravings  showing  size,  shape,  &e.,  should  not  yet  have  'made  his  acquaint- 
ance,' or  at  least  have  known  whether  he  was  a  worm  or  bug.  It  is  not  a  moth,  or  other  worm,  that  does 
the  mischief,  as  I  have  many  times  watched  the  Curculio  and  seen  him  perform  the  process,  and  this  he  does 
with  the  skill  of  a  professor  of  surgery — first  cutting  a  segment  of  a  circle,  and  then  depositing  the  egg, 
after  which  the  juice  exuding  from  the  wound  forms  a  'sticking  plaster.'  I  am  very  sceptical  as  to  the 
exterminating  properties  of  the  remedy  he  gives  (ashes,  soot,  and  sulphur  sprinkled  on  the  tree),  it  cannot 
reach  the  egg ;  and  as  for  the  Curculio,  he  inhabits  a  sort  of  coat  of  mail,  hard  and  resisting,  and  seems  to 
care  little  for  what  surrounds  him,  plums  excfpted. 


JO  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

"  The  remedy  which  mil  prove  effectual,  if  the  gardener  does  his  duty,  is  to  anticipate  him,  and  never 
let  him  exist  ;  which  is  done  if  all  the  punctured  plums  that  fall  to  the  ground  are  burned,  or  given  to  the 
hogs. 

"  Now,  sir,  one  word  in  relation  to  copying  the  article  into  the  Farmer.  I  shall  believe  it  was  done 
without  your  supervision,  as  its  erroneous  description  of  the  Curculw  must  at  once  have  satisfied  you  that 
the  writer  knew  nothing  of  the  insect  of  which  he  wrote.  "  Yours  obediently, 

"  Rome,  June  5.  J.  H." 

J.  H.  very  properly  reproves  the  editors  of  both  these  agricultural  papers  for 
publishing  an  article  written  by  one,  calling  the  Curculio  a  "  green  moth."  Could 
all  the  foolish  recommendations  that  find  their  way  into  the  papers  be  as  promptly 
met  and  as  properly  answered  as  this  was  by  J.  H.,  they  would  not  do  much 
harm. 

This  long  account  of  Curculio  remedies  might  be  much  extended.  Many  others 
have  been  proposed,-  but,  like  the  above,  have  been  found  wanting  when  fairly 
tried. 

About  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago  there  was  great  activity  in  the  search  for  a  Cur- 
culio remedy,  chiefly  with  the  idea  of  finding  something  available  in  connexion  with 
the  supposed  instincts  of  the  insect.  We  had  the  paving,  planting  over  water, 
powerful  smells,  and  heaps  of  manure  ;  but  all  these,  as  well  as  the  various  mixtures 
for  coating  the  young  fruit,  are  now  abandoned.  The  agricultural  papers  seldom 
speak  of  any  of  them,  and  few  new  ones  are  proposed.  The  destruction  of  the 
grub  in  the  young  fruit  and  the  jarring  process  for  killing  the  beetle  during  the  sea- 
son of  mischief  are  all  that  have  survived ;  and  so  little  is  now  said  of  these,  that 
most  people  have  settled  down  into  the  belief  that  Nectarines,  Apricots,  and  even 
Plums  are  to  be  given  up.  They  say  if  these  fruits  could  be  had  without  trouble 
they  would  be  very  nice  ;  but  they  can  do  without  them.  There  are  people  who,  if 
they  find  it  troublesome  to  raise  wheat,  will  live  on  rye  or  corn  bread.  But  now, 
since  the  signs  of  the  times  indicate  so  plainly  that  even  Apples  must  soon  be  given 
up  also,  unless  we  make  fight  against  the  insect  enemies,  perhaps  the  public  will  be 
aroused  to  a  sense  of  danger. 

I  hope  all  who  have  followed  me  through  this  chapter  on  remedies,  will  reso- 
lutely determine  that  the  question  as  to  their  usefulness  is  no  longer  an  open  one ; 
that  they  at  least  are  not  to  be  depended  upon  ;  that  the  fight  hereafter  is  to  be 


THE    CURCULIO. 


71 


directed  to  the  killing  of  this  insect,  either  as  grub  or  beetle  ;  that  everything  short 
of  that  may  as  well  be  given  up  first  as  last. 

Here  I  would  like  to  comment  at  some  length  upon  many  valuable  articles 
which  I  have  met  with  in  the  journals  on  the  Curculio,  but  this  chapter  is  already 
very  much  extended.  Some  remarks  on  the  early  history  of  the  Curculio,  by  David 
Thomas,  appeared  in  the  August  number  of  the  Cultivator,  of  1850.  In  this  will  be 
found  a  notice  of  a  correspondence  between  Peter  Collinson,  of  London,  and  John 
Bartram,  of  Philadelphia,  about  this  insect,  so  long  ago  as  1736-7.  D.  Thomas  also 
speaks  of  the  early  contributions  of  W.  Bartram,  Dr.  Tilton,  and  the  late  Judge 
Darling,  of  Connecticut.  The  Horticulturist,  especially  while  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Barry  and  Mr.  Mead,  contained  many  valuable  articles  on  this  strange  and 
important  insect — one  by  the  late  Dr.  Harris  is  full  of  interest ;  but  really  the  very 
best,  to  my  fancy,  is  from  William  Hopkins,  of  Pomona,  Brunswick,  Renssellaer 
county,  New  York. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  A  DIARY  KEPT  IN  1864. 

As  soon  as  I  had  determined  upon  the  preparation  of  this  book,  I  commenced  a 
systematic  investigation  of  the  time  of  appearance,  the  habits,  and  the  depredations  of 
the  various  insects  that  would  be  likely  to  come  under  review,  and  have  taken  down, 
almost  every  evening,  notes  of  what  I  observed  during  the  day.  During  the  season 
of  1864  this  diary  makes  many  volumes.  That  portion  relating  to  each  insect  spoken 
of  in  this  work  will  be  introduced  under  its  appropriate  head.  The  part  relative  to 
the  Curculio  comes  in  here,  and  it  will  constitute  a  narrative  of  the  important  events 
of  its  career. 

May  12. — Visited  Trenton  to-day.  The  Quince  trees  in  blossom.  The  seasons 
are  usually  a  week  earlier  here  than  at  Newark,  though  there  is  not  a  difference  of 
half  a  degree  in  latitude.  Mr.  Voorhees,  President  of  the  Agricultural  Society,  told 
me  that  they  had  already  caught  many  Curculios  by  jarring  the  trees  over  a  sheet. 

May  13 — Caught  three  Curculios  this  evening  by  jarring  a  Green  Gage  tree. 
The  Plums  are  now  just  forming ;  indeed  many  of  the  blossoms  are  not  yet  off  the 
tree.  Apricots  are  as  large  as  the  end  of  the  little  finger. 

In  a  record  kept  for  ten  years  in  succession,  near  the  Hudson  River,  latitude  42°, 
the  time  of  the  blossoming  of  the  Apricot  varied  as  much  as  three  weeks — from  the 
l  ith  of  April  to  the  3d  of  May,  but  the  young  fruit  attained  the  size  at  which  the 
Curculio  chooses  to  use  it,  on  the  i8th  of  May — not  varying  more  than  two  days  in 
all  that  time. 

Many  writers  say  that  the  war  upon  the  Curculio  must  begin  when  the  trees  are 
in  blossom.  Had  this  advice  been  followed  from  the  l  ith  of  April  to  the  i8th  of 
May,  on  an  Apricot  orchard,  it  would  have  proved  an  almost  total  waste  of  time ; 
probably  few  would  have  been  found,  as  they  do  not  concentrate  till  the  fruit  is  of  the 
proper  size. 

May  14. — The  Curculios  caught  last  evening  are  now  exceedingly  active.  They 
appear  to  be  of  both  sexes,  and  are  as  restless  and  full  of  life  as  birds  are  in  the  early 
days  of  summer.  They  had  been  placed  in  a  wooden  pill-box ;  and  in  holding  it  to 


THE    CURCULIO.  73 

the  ear  they  can  be  heard  moving  about,  both  day  and  night.  This  evening  I  have 
been  subjecting  them  to  an  examination  under  the  microscope.  The  eye  appears  to 
have  147  lenses,  and  one  of  the  females  was  found  to  contain  twenty-five  eggs.  The 
head,  twenty  minutes  after  being  separated  from  the  body,  was  still  in  motion.  The 
nippers  at  the  end  of  the  proboscis  could  be  seen  moving  as  if  biting.  A  living  insect 
being  placed  so  as  to  show  the  under  side  of  the  body,  gave  a  complete  view  of  the 
ball  and  socket  articulation  of  the  head  and  legs,  very  perfect  illustrations  of  that  kind 
of  joint.  This  accounts  for  the  curved  form  of  the  mark  made  in  the  fruit.  The 
body  of  the  Curculio  remains  immovable  while  the  incision  is  being  cut,  and,  of 
course,  it  must  conform  in  shape  and  size  to  the  turning  of  the  head  on  this  ball  and 
socket  axis. 

Portions  of  beetles  are  often  used  as  settings  for  the  microscope.  The  Diamond 
Beetle  is  very  brilliant,  but  far  less  so  than  the  Curculio.  There  are  probably  no 
combinations  of  colors  so  gorgeous  as  those  exhibited  in  the  wing-covers  of  a  living 
Curculio  under  the  microscope,  where  the  rays  of  strong  lights  are  concentrated  by 
properly  arranged  reflectors.  All  the  parts  of  this  little  beetle — eyes,  limbs,  and  wing 
covers — develop  bright  metallic  tints,  while  the  minute  hairs  found  on  all  parts  of  the 
Curculio  appear  as  pearls.  I  have  often  wished  that  these  vivid  colors  could  be 
transferred  to  canvas ;  and  my  friend  Hochstein  has  several  times  made  the  attempt, 
but  he  has  now  abandoned  the  undertaking  as  beyond  his  power. 

One  would  think,  in  contemplating  a  Curculio,  that  it  was  as  unpromising  a 
subject  to  develop  beauty  as  would  be  the  head  of  a  Toad  to  bring  forth  jewels;  but 
"  sweet  are  the  uses  of  adversity,"  as  Shakspeare  says,  in  alluding  to  the  contrast 
between  good  and  evil,  as  exemplified  in  the  Toad.  In  his  days  it  was  believed 
that  there  was  a  stone  in  the  head  of  the  Toad  endued  with  singular  virtues,  and  this 
was  a  compensation  for  the  venomous  effects  of  its  touch.  I  am  a  firm  believer  in 
the  doctrine  of  compensations,  but  the  tongue  is  the  Toad's  jewel.  All  gardeners 
know  the  trouble  we  have  with  some  insects,  and  few  are  more  provoking  than  the 
striped  bug  on  the  young  Melon  vines.  Place  one  of  your  pet  Toads  (and  all  gar- 
deners should  have  such  pets)  among  these  vines,  and  watch  him.  See  how  like  a 
streak  of  lightning  that  tongue  flashes  out,  and  how  the  Melon  Bug  flashes  in. 
If  you  are  a  collector  of  insects,  and  want  those  that  are  active  at  night  when 
you  are  asleep,  take  from  the  Toad  early  in  the  morning  the  supply  he  has  gathered 
to  ruminate  upon  during  the  day.  Many  of  them  will  be  as  perfect  as  if  you  had 
caught  them  with  your  own  gauze  net.  And  what  a  variety  !  Yes,  the  Toad  is 
ugly  and  venomous — to  insects,  but  has  a  jewel  in  his  head  for  us. 

The  Toad  is  a  funny  creature,  and  if  you  look  at  him  as  a  philosopher  should, 


74  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

without  being  angry,  because  he  sometimes  eats  strawberries,  you  may  find  a  great 
deal  of  amusement  in  him.  I  have  seen  animals  go  backwards  into  their  burrows, 
but  except  the  Toad,  I  have  never  seen  any  make  their  burrows  backwards.  Find 
one  a  little  belated  in  the  early  morning — confront  him,  and  watch  sharply  as  if  you 
suspected  lie  had  been  eating  strawberries  or  lady-bugs,  and  his  eyes  will  begin  to 
wink  and  blink  ;  soon  his  head  will  be  averted,  as  if  he  were  ashamed,  but  all  this 
time  he  will  be  settling  away,  going  down  as  a  canal  boat  doeg  -in  a  lock  ;  his  hind 
feet  have  been  throwing  out  the  earth  from  under  him,  reminding  you  of  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  first  steamboat — "  a  grist-mill  afloat,  with  the  water  getting  out  from 
under." 

Toads  are  fond  of  strawberry  beds.  The  partial  burrow  beneath  and  the  broud 
leaves  of  the  Hoveys  above ;  the  hosts  of  insects  and  the  ripening  fruit  around 
make  such  a  residence  comfortable.  I  know  a  little  girl  who  is  a  great  lover  of  fruit. 
She  watches  the  strawberries.  Some  very  large  ones  are  taken  in  the  hand  in  the 
evening — turned  all  round  and  carefully  examined — but  not  being  quite  ripe  are 
allowed  to  remain.  In  the  morning  they  are  gone.  She  asks  me  why?  I  say  it  is 
hard  to  know  what  has  been  in  the  garden  in  the  night.  Near  by  is  a  mutilated 
strawberry ;  the  mark  of  a  bite  is  plainly  to  be  seen,  and  close  by,  under  a  broad  leaf, 
I  observe  something  like  the  eye  of  a  Toad — a  crescent-shaped  streak  of  white  just 
disappearing.  Could  that  concave  wound  in  the  strawberry  be  brought  into  juxta- 
position with  the  convex  mouth  of  that  Toad,  there  would  probably  be  found  a 
remarkable  adaptation  between  the  two ;  but  nothing  is  said  about  it.  This  little 
girl  is  old  enough  to  appreciate  strawberries,  but  not  old  enough  to  appreciate  Toads. 

When  I  was  young  I  was  told  that  if  I  killed  the  Toads  the  cows  would  give 
bloody  milk.  Children  in  the  country  are  fond  of  milk,  and  the  fear  of  such  a 
catastrophe  saved  the  Toads. 

The  Toad,  like  the  Snake,  sheds  his  skin  once  a  year,  but  the  manner  of  doing 
it  is  very  different.  The  snake  contrives  to  start  his  akin  near  the  head,  and  then  by 
drawing  himself  through  some  tight  place  strips  it  off — skins  himself — the  cast-off 
garment  being  left  for  collectors  of  curiosities.  The  Toad  works  at  his  with  his 
mouth,  first  taking  off  the  coat,  then  the  pants,  and  eats  them  both. 

It  may  be  asked,  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  Curculio  ?  Although  I 
have  often  found  different  species  of  this  beetle  in  the  stomach  of  the  Toad,  the  fore- 
going notes  are  more  appropriate  here,  in  connexion  with  the  doctrine  of  compensa- 
tion— the  mixture  of  goc^d  and  evil  in  this  life. 

May  16. — Tried  my  Plum  trees  this  afternoon  for  Curculios,  but  found  none. 
These  trees  are  in  a  city  garden,  and  have  now  been  jarred  several  times.  Were  the 


THE      CURCULIO.  J$ 

young  plums  large  enough  for  the  puncture  of  the  Curculio,  the  jarring  would  not  so 
often  prove  unproductive ;  until  the  fruit  is  to  a  certain  extent  developed,  they  are 
almost  as  likely  to  be  found  on  one  tree  as  another.  To-day,  in  examining  the  blistered 
leaves  on  some  Peach  trees  in  a  neighbor's  garden,  I  found  a  Curculio  on  the  upper 
side  of  one  of  these  blisters. 

May  17. — Tried  again  this  evening  for  the  Curculio,  but  found  none. 

May  18. — Have  seen  both  Pears  and  Cherries  with  the  Curculio  mark  to-day. 
Found  knots  on  young  Cherry  trees  this  afternoon,  and  caught  a  Curculio  on  one  of 
them.  Gave  it  a  thorough  examination  under  the  microscope.  If  I  had  had  the 
slightest  doubt  of  its  identity  with  the  Curculio  that  is  bred  in  the  Plum  and  other 
fruits,  it  would  now  have  been  removed.  The  microscope  settles  all  such  uncertain- 
ties. By  a  careful  examination  of  this  knot,  a  crescent-shaped  mark  was  found,  with 
an  egg  in  it.  This  egg,  together  with  one  from  a  punctured  Apricot,  was  placed 
under  the  microscope,  and  their  identity  was  conclusively  proved.  The  Curculio 
taken  from  the  Cherry  knot  was  now  dissected,  and  only  two  eggs  were  found. 

May  20. — I  have  had  quite  a  search  for  Curculios  to-day,  but  found  none  upon 
the  fruits,  although  a  few  of  the  earlier  kinds  of  Pears,  Plums,  and  Cherries  are 
marked.  Caught  ten  on  the  knots  of  Plum  and  Cherry  trees ;  four  of  them  on  a 
single  knot  on  a  Cherry  twig. 

May  21. — The  Curculios  caught  yesterday  on  the  Cherry  knots  were  taken  to 
Mr.  Hochstein  to-day,  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity  of  catching  the  positions 
they  assume  when  cutting  the  crescent,  depositing  the  egg,  and  then  securing  it  in 
the  place  so  carefully  prepared  for  it.  Two  Apricots  were  given  them,  and  in  less 
than  a  minute  they  were  all  on  those  Apricots,  and  the  females  were  making  the 
crescent-shaped  marks  instantly — two  on  one,  three  on  the  other.  The  males 
attached  themselves  to  the  stems,  where  they  seemed  to  be  feeding.  Some  of  their 
attitudes  were  very  amusing.  Could  the  Elephant  be  photographed  down  to  the  size 
of  one  of  these  male  Curculios,  as  it  was  attached  to  the  stem  of  an  Apricot,  it  would 
be  very  like  a  Curculio. 

The  time  consumed  by  the  female  in  cutting  the  crescent  in  fruit  so  young  as  it 
is  now,  is  very  short,  not  more  than  two  minutes ;  but  the  making  of  the  cavity  in 
which  the  egg  is  to  be  stowed  away,  is  a  much  more  tedious  operation.  I  waited 
half  an  hour,  and  none  of  them  had  finished.  Many  times  for  years  past,  when  not 


10 


76  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

so  hurried  as  now,  I  have  patiently  watched  the  whole  process.  It  is  one  of  the 
exemplifications  of  insect  instinct.  The  Curculio  works  and  works  at  this  little 
cave  leading  from  the  middle  of  the  concave  side  of  the  cut  in  the  skin  of  the  fruit, 
until  it  attains  the  proper  size  for  the  easy  passage  of  her  thin-skinned  and  delicate 
egg;  and  at  the  further  end  of  that  cave  or  passage-way  she  will  carefully  prepare  the 
chamber  for  its  resting-place,  larger  than  the  passage-way,  and  with  the  adjacent  pulp 
of  the  fruit  so  deadened  that  the  egg  will  not  be  dangerously  pressed  by  subsequent 
growth.  This  done,  she  withdraws  the  proboscis,  or  operating  instrument,  turns 
round,  and  drops  an  egg  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave ;  then  turns  again,  and  carefully 
pushes  it  to  its  destined  place,  using  her  proboscis  for  the  purpose,  and  assuming  the 
same  position  as  when  making  the  opening.  If  those  who  have  seen  the  common 
woodcock  boring  in  the  soft  ground  for  food,  will  carefully  watch  this  operation  of  the 
little  Curculio,  they  will  be  struck  with  the  similarity  of  the  positions  of  the  two. 
But  all  is  not  yet  finished.  This  crescent-shaped  cut  in  the  skin  of  the  fruit  is  now 
carefully  plastered  up  with  a  gummy  deposit,  of  which  she  seems  always  to  have  the 
requisite  supply ;  probably  a  necessary  protection  to  prevent  the  separating  of  the 
•wound,  and  the  consequent  exposure  of  the  egg.  It  is  an  instinctive  operation,  and 
of  course  necessary  and  invariable. 

Any  one  who  is  curious  to  watch  all  these  stages  of  the  operation  to  advantage, 
can  do  so  by  placing  some  Curculios  in  a  large  clean  vial  with  some  young  fruit — 
Plum,  Apple,  Pear,  Cherry,  Apricot,  Peach,  or  Quince — the  Japan  Quince,  or  even 
some  of  the  wild  berries.  But  I  have  found  the  following  a  more  satisfactory  way  of 
seeing  this  curious  procedure  than  viewing  it  through  glass.  Thrust  the  point  of  a 
knife  into  a  young  fruit,  then  present  it  to  some  Curculios  that  have  been  kept  some 

/ 

hours  without  having  a  chance  to  deposit  eggs,  and  they  will  take  to  it  at  once,  giving 
you  no  trouble  by  trying  to  get  away  till  the  entire  operation  is  completed.  If  your 
knife  has  a  blade  at  each  end,  the  point  of  the  other  blade  can  be  pushed  into  some 
soft  wood ;  and  thus,  with  the  Curculio  at  the  top  of  the  fruit  on  the  upper  blade, 
there  will  be  a  good  chance  of  seeing  all  round. 

I  now  jar  my  plum  trees  every  day,  but  so  far  have  found  no  Curculios,  except 
three  a  week  ago. 

May  23,  1863.    (A  year  ago.) — First  marks  on  Plums  and  Pears.     Caught 
three  Curculios  on  one  Green  Gage  tree  to-day. 

May  23,  1864. — Have  tried  three  Plum  trees  to-day  but  could  find  no  Curculios, 
though  some  Plums  show  marks.     I  now  live  in  a  city  and  have  but  a  small  garden. 


THE    CURCULIO.  77 

( 

For  twelve  years  I  had  large  orchards,  both  of  Plum  and  Apricot  trees.  During  all 
that  time,  except  the  first  two  years,  when  I  was  trying  the  various  nostrums  and 
quack  Curculio  remedies,  I  faithfully  pursued  the  tv/o  plans  recommended  in  this 
work— destroying  the  young  fruits  as  they  fell,  so  as  to  diminish  the  number  of  the 
enemy  for  the  next  year — and  when  the  Curculio  made  its  appearance  on  the  young 
fruit,  to  jar — -jar — jar — every  day,  or  three  times  a  day  if  necessary,  till  the  battle  was 
fought  out  and  the  victory  won  on  my  side.  Every  year  of  that  ten  years,  every  crop 
on  every  tree  in  those  orchards  of  Plums,  Apricots,  and  Nectarines,  came  to  perfection. 
If  the  crop  started  thin  I  kept  them  all ;  if  too  abundant  I  let  the  Curculio  take  as 
much  as  was  required  for  a  proper  thinning  out,  but  no  more. 

Found  several  Curculios  to-day  on  the  same  knots  of  Cherry  trees  and  tried  them 
with  an  apple  of  last  year,  but  they  knew  it  not.  When  portions  of  it  were  cut  off 
and  given  to  them,  they  tasted  moderately. 

May  25. — Found  one  Curculio  on  Green  Gage  tree,  and  two  on  the  same  Cherry 
knot.  Killed  an  Oriole  (Baltimore) — a  male  of  one  year ;  it  did  not  have  the  bril- 
liant colors  of  the  fully  matured  bird.  I  had  followed  it  from  tree  to  tree  for  a  long 
time,  listening  to  its  peculiar  notes,  and  watching  its  habit  of  feeding.  In  a  very 
careful  examination  of  the  contents  of  the  stomach,  what  appeared  to  be  the  wing- 
cases  of  a  Curculio  were  discovered ;  and  on  further  scrutiny  I  found  the  head  with 
the  proboscis  attached.  This  was  exciting.  Here  was  some  evidence  that  one  bird 
at  least  was  feeding  upon  our  most  formidable  insect  enemy ;  but  as  the  Curculio  is 
one  of  a  large  family  of  the  Coleoptera,  and  many  of  the  different  species  bear  a  striking 
resemblance  to  each  other,  both  in  form  and  size,  it  was  necessary  to  pursue  the 
investigation  still  further.  On  placing  the  wing  cases  under  the  microscope,  the 
peculiar  protuberances — the  brilliant  metallic  colors — the  hairs  resembling  pearls,  when 
a  strong  light  is  directed  upon  them,  that  I  had  so  often  seen,  were  all  visible.  The 
mutilated  head  was  now  tested.  There  was  the  proboscis  with  its  cutting  apparatus, 
and  the  147  lenses  in  the  eye.  I  have  examined  the  eyes  of  many  others  of  this 
family,  but  not  one  of  them  has  the  same  number  of  lenses.  The  larger  species 
figured  in  PI.  5,  Fig.  10,  lias  more  than  double  this  number. 

All  this  evidence  taken  together  was  ample  to  settle  this  question  for  ever.  The 
Baltimore  eats  the  Curculio !  Let  the  death  of  this  martyred  bird  secure  the  protec- 
tion of  its  race  for  all  future  time.  The  remains  of  three  other  beetles  and  three 
leaf-curling  caterpillars  were  also  found  in  the  stomach  of  this  Oriole. 

May  27. — There  was  rain  all  night,  but  it  was  over  in  the  morning ;  cleared  off 


78  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIf. 

during  the  day;  just  such  weather  as  makes  all  insect  life  active.  The  great  business 
with  all  insects  in  the  last  or  mature  stage  of  life  is  to  arrange  for  the  generation  that 
is  to  succeed  them.  Cold  and  wet  suspend  these  labors,  but  when  the  clear  hot 
weather  comes  they  seem  to  be  conscious  of  the  necessity  of  making  up  for  lost 
time.  All  who  have  determined  to  protect  their  fruits  from  the  Curculio  must  be 
active  now. 

May  28. — Caught  a  few  Curculios  to-day,  llpon  a  close  examination  found 
the  Plum  crop  very  thin;  much  of  the  fruit  stung.  This  must  have  been  done 
between  showers  or  one  of  the  wet  days,  as  the  jarring  has  been  faithfully  continued, 
though  it  is  certain  that  jarring  will  not  invariably  bring  them  all  down,  particularly 
on  large  trees.  I  have  found  them  on  the  leaves,  apparently  with  all  their  claws 
sticking  in,  as  the  shell  of  the  seventeen-year  locust  does,  as  the  beetle  of  the  apple- 
tree  borer  does,  after  hard  knocking ;  but  when  they  are  at  work  on  the  fruit,  or 
moving  about,  as  on  warm  days,  the  jarring  seldom  fails  to  bring  them  down — jarr- 
ing, not  shaking.  There  is  a  decided  difference  in  the  signification  of  these  two 
words,  in  the  Curculio  business. 

The  wind  shakes  the  tree,  and  these  insects  do  not  mind  it ;  a  bird  alighting  on  a 
twig  jars  it,  and  the  Curculio's  instinct  quickly  tells  it  that  the  attraction  of  gravi- 
tation is  its  best  resource  from  the  appetite  of  that  bird,  and  it  falls  to  the  ground. 
This  any  one  can  ascertain  who  has  young  trees  just  bearing.  By  looking  carefully 
over  the  tree  where  the  fruit  shows  signs  of  the  presence  of  the  Turk,  he  can  easily 
see  the  Curculio  at  work.  That  tree  or  the  branch  can  be  bent  over  without  disturb- 
ing it;  but  let  it  go,  so  that  it  springs  back  with  a  jerk,  and  off  will  come  the  Curcu- 
lio. I  often  bend  a  twig  so  as  to  place  fruit  where  I  suspect  one  to  be  at  work  over 
my  inverted  hat,  and  then  give  it  a  gentle  tap,  and  the  Curculio  will  be  in  that  hat 
instantly.  A  large  newspaper  laid  down  on  one  side,  and  then  the  tree  bent  over  it, 
and  tapped,  answers  well  in  the  absence  of  the  canvas.  I  have  caught  hundreds 
upon  the  New  York  Evening  Post. 

My  Plums,  I  find,  are  half  stung,  many  of  them  thrice,  and  some  have  three 
marks.  I  have  spent  hours  to-day  in  taking  out  the  eggs  from  the  young  fruit  on 
three  trees.  Had  the  crop  been  a  full  one,  I  could  have  spared  to  advantage  all  that 
are  now  stung;  but  the  rain  that  rotted  the  embryo  Cherries  within  the  calyx,  rotted 
also  most  of  the  Plums,  and  there  are  none  to  spare  for  the  Curculio  this  year. 
"  What  would  Mrs.  Grundy  say  "  if  the  author  of  a  book  on  the  Curculio  should 
have  no  plums ! 

My  experience  of  this  year  in  saving  the  fruit  by  the  jarring  process  has  not 


THE    CURCULIO.  79 

been  so  favorable  as  it  was  when  the  trees  were  smaller.  There  is  a  want  of  elas- 
ticity in  old  trees,  that  makes  it  more  difficult  to  give  the  requisite  jar ;  probably  this 
accounts  for  the  partial  failure  this  year.  My  practice  at  first  was  the  same  as  usual ; 
but  as  soon  as  I  saw  so  many  of  the  Plums  marked  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
merely  striking  large  old  trees  with  a  mallet  or  axe  was  not  enough,  and  now  I  use 
the  mop-stick,  as  seen  in  PL  7,  Fig.  5. 

Caught  two  Curculios  to-day  on  the  same  Cherry  knots ;  also  saw  two  Ichneumon 
Flies  on  the  same  knots. 

X 

May  29. — Still  get  two  or  three  Curculios  from  the  Plum  trees.  Try  them  three 
times  a  day.  I  had  three  Curculios  in  a  small  wooden  pill-box.  I  filled  the  box  with 
a  saturated  infusion  of  tobacco,  and  it  was  so  tight  as  scarcely  to  leak.  I  have  but 
little  sympathy  for  Curculios.  It  is  cruel  to  shut  them  in  a  pill-box  at  this  busy 
season  of  the  year ;  but  to  fill  that  box  with  such  an  infusion  is  a  refinement  of  torture 
that  should  relieve  my  character  of  that  lackadaisical  reputation  I  have  acquired  with 
some,  of  being  a  universal  friend  to  insects.  Just  at  this  time  I  was  called  to  tea. 
When  I  returned  the  pill-box  had  exploded,  and  the  Curculios  had  travelled  off  to 
parts  unknown.  To  morrow  I  expect  to  find  them  when  I  jar  the  Green  Gage  tree. 
This  was  the  strongest  possible  solution  of  the  nastiest  kind  of  tobacco.  The 
experiment  was  tried  over  and  over  again.  An  infusion  of  tobacco  will  not  kill  the 
Curculio !  It  will  be  hard  to  make  some  people  believe  this ;  still  it  is  so. 

May  31.— Get  about  two  Curculios  a  day  from  our  three  Plum  trees. 

June  i. — Bright,  hot  day.  Thermometer  at  noon  87°  in  the  shade,  107°  in  the 
sun.  Two  Curculios  to-day.  Have  now  quite  a  number.  Dissected  seven  of  them, 
five  females  and  two  males.  The  latter  presented  nothing  worthy  of  remark ;  three 
of  the  females  contained  one  egg  each,  although  one  of  them  was  found  coupled  with 
a  male ;  another  three,  and  the  remaining  one  nine.  Twenty-five  eggs  are  the  largest 
number  I  have  yet  found.  The  assertion  of  some  writers,  that  they  deposit  several  eggs 
a  day  for  weeks,  is  one  of  that  kind  of  mistakes  so  liable  to  occur  when  people  guess 
at  things ;  and  guessing  at  conclusions  in  the  insect  world  is  particularly  hazardous. 

Visited  the  old  orchard  to-day.  As  the  orchard  here  spoken  of  is  one  I  shall 
often  have  to  allude  to  in  the  progress  of  this  work,  I  will  here  describe  it.  It  contains 
about  thirty  acres  of  land,  and  is  now  owned  by  a  company  of  speculators  waiting  for 
a  rise  in  real  estate.  It  is  about  a  mile  from  the  central  part  of  the  city,  and  not  yet 
wanted  for  building  lots.  There  are  about  300  Apple  trees  still  standing,  the  remains 


8O  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

of  one  of  the  large  orchards  that  formerly  made  Newark  so  famous  for  its  cider.  As 
an  orchard  it  is  now  very  irregular ;  the  trees  are  old,  and  many  are  dead.  These  trees 
were  planted  forty-five  feet  apart,  and  many  are  very  large — measuring  from  six  to 
seven  feet  in  circumference. 

This  orchard  is  now  used  year  after  year  as  a  cow-pasture ;  the  fences  being  kept 
up  for  the  income  derived  from  the  board  of  these  cows,  otherwise  it  would  soon  be 
a  common.  It  borders  the  salt  marshes,  being  separated  from  them  only  by  a  belt  of 
swampy  woods.  Here  great  numbers  of  birds  are  found  early  in  the  season,  but  the 
idle  boys  of  the  city  hunt  them  and  rob  their  nests,  so  that  they  become  scarce  by 
midsummer.  It  was  here  that  I  shot  most  of  the  birds  which  I  have  examined, 
preferring  to  kill  for  scientific  purposes  those  that  were  so  liable  to  be  destroyed  in 
mere  wantonness. 

This  has  been  a  favorite  resort  for  many  reasons.  Here  I  have  been  watching 
the  myriads  of  plant  lice  and  their  effects  upon  the  leaves  and  young  fruit.  Here  I 
could  see  how  closely  the  cows  pick  up  the  falling  apples.  These  great  Apple  trees, 
of  course,  show  none  of  the  effects  of  the  Borer,  so  often  witnessed  in  younger  orchards. 
Here  I  can  idle  away  hour  after  hour  in  watching  the  lower  orders  of  animated  nature  ; 
and  here  I  can  shoot  birds  without  being  fined  five  dollars  apiece.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  kind 
of  Sherwood  Forest  for  many  of  the  younger  outlaws  of  Newark. 

Stopped  to-day  at  the  Cherry  knots,  but  found  no  Curculios.  The  first  time  I 
have  not  I  now  always  see  Ichneumon  Flies  more  or  less  about  these  knots  ;  they 
are  quite  small,  but  all  of  the  same  species.  Their  ovipositors  are  remarkably  long. 
Find  one  or  two  Curculios  a  day.  The  Plums  first  stung  are  beginning  to  fall ; 
they  are  so  young  and  tender,  that  if  placed  in  the  hot  sun  they  soon  wilt,  and  the 
grubs  die. 

The  Plums,  where  the  eggs  were  dug  out,  are  doing  well,  and  will  survive.  Shall 
have  a  crop  yet.  The  curled  leaves  of  the  Apple  trees  have  generally  fallen  off,  and 
the  aphides  that  caused  them  have  nearly  disappeared ;  the  foliage  is  now  coming 
out  vigorously,  and  is  of  a  fine  color,  but  the  crop  of  Apples  will  be  thin.  Yester- 
day I  noticed  on  some  trees  that  nearly  all  had  been  stung  by  the  Curculio.  If  this 
should  be  general,  as  I  suppose  it  will,  apples  will  have  to  come  from  somewhere 
else.  Some  Peach  trees  are  well  filled,  but  where  the  leaves  curled  badly  most  have 
fallen  off,  and  the  Curculio  is  at  work  at  the  remainder.  Mr.  P.  has  a  fine  crop  of 
Plums;  the  German  Prune,  as  usual,  thin,  but  the  black  knot  does  not  trouble  it 
much,  and  the  Curculio  is  less  destructive.  The  Green  Gage,  Bolmar,  and  other 
American  sorts  are  suffering  badly,  but  a  number  of  large  trees  of  common  kinds  are 
quite  full  yet. 


THE    CURCULIO.  8l 

June  6. — The  Green  Gages,  Bolmars,  and  some  other  plums  are  now  falling, 
from  the  Curculio  punctures.  Those  who  have  waited  till  June  before  attacking  the 
Curculio,  will  be  too  late  this  year.  Had  a  long  conversation  to-day  with  my  neigh- 
bor Pierson  about  his  Curculio  experience.  He  told  me  that  at  one  time  he 
bought  100  yards  of  musquito  netting,  and  covered  his  young  Plum  trees  with  it; 
he  bound  cotton  saturated  with  sweet  oil  round  the  trees,  but  neither  did  any  good. 
Mr.  Longworth,  of  Cincinnati,  visited  him,  and  saw  his  plums  falling,  and  told  him 
to  pave  under  the  trees.  This  he  did,  using  cement  to  make  it  more  complete,  but 
after  a  trial  of  ten  years  he  took  the  pavement  all  up  as  useless.  Then  some  Yankee 
told  him  to  shake  the  trees,  and  this  was  done  every  morning  for  a  long  time  ;  but  to 
use  his  own  expression,  "  I  got  some  plums  nevare."  Lately  he  has  been  changing 
most  of  his  trees  into  the  Quetsche  or  German  Prune,  in  the  belief  that  this  variety  of 
Plum  is  less  liable  to  both  the  Curculio  and  black  knot,  which  to  some  extent  is 
true.  If  there  were  as  many  Green  Gages  or  Egg  Plums  as  the  Curculios  wanted, 
the  Prunes  would  escape,  just  as  Peaches  would  escape  their  attacks  if  they  could 
find  plenty  of  Nectarines. 

June  g. — To-day  Mr.  Pierson  told  me  more  about  his  experiments  upon  the 
Curculio.  Many  of  the  trees  still  bear,  the  mark  of  the  tar  with  which  they  had  been 
surrounded.  He  said  that  this  tar  injured  many  of  them,  having  a  binding  or  girdling 
effect,  and  doing  no  good.  He  said  he  also  tried  a  mixture  of  potash,  molasses,  etc., 
"  and  everything." 

Mr.  P.'s  experiments  were  made  years  ago,  when  he  was  a  more  ambitious 
and  enthusiastic  fruit-grower  than  now.  I  have  never  known  a  more  ardent  ama- 
teur than  he  was  for  the  first  ten  years  of  his  labors.  His  grounds  were  visited 
and  admired  by  all  who  took  an  interest  in  such  pursuits.  His  Pears  and  Grapes  failed 
from  necessity — the  trees  and  vines  had  been  brought  from  Europe.  All  other  culti- 
vators who  have  tried  that  experiment  have  shared  a  similar  fate  ;  but  the  Curculio  was 
the  cause,  and  the  only  cause,  of  the  failure  of  his  Plum  crops,  and  he  seemed  to  feel 
that  it  would  be  a  disgrace  to  be  overcome  in  a  contest  with"  a  little  insect.  This 
was  a  vastly  different  affair  from  fighting  the  uncongenial  climate  of  a  Continent. 
Then,  too,  the  books  told  him  precisely  what  to  do,  and  with  equal  precision  he 
followed  their  direction ;  supposing,  of  course,  like  most  other  people,  that  what  is 
printed  must  be  true.  After  a  faithful  trial,  all  failed  to  secure  the  desired  result. 
Had  Mr.  P.  taken  the  time  to  carefully  investigate  the  nature  and  habits  of  the  Cur- 
culio, or  had  he  been  able  to  find  a  treatise  on  the  subject  as  elaborate  as  its  import- 
ance demands,  his  good  sense  would  have  enabled  him  to  see  that  all  these  nostrums 


82  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

must  be  useless,  and  he  would  have  been  saved  the  labor,  the  loss  of  time,  and  the 
final  disgust.  Speak  to  him  now  of  the  Curculio,  and  he  shrugs  his  shoulders,  but 
tells  not  what  he  thinks.  French  gentlemen  will  not  say  anything  uncivil ;  therefore 
he  will  not  say  anything  to  one  who  believes  the  Curculio  can  be  conquered. 

\f  I  can  change  all  this  ;  if  I  can  only  succeed  in  convincing  all  fruit-growers  that 
there  is  no  nostrum  of  the  least  value ;  that  not  one  of  the  mixtures,  washes,  smokes, 
or  smells  now  known  will  do  any  good,  I  shall  have  cleared  the  way  for  laying  a 
foundation  on  which  to  build  a  rational  system  of  management. 

June  11. — In  a  visit  to  the  old  orchard  to-day,  it  was  apparent  that  the  crop  of 
apples  was  thin.  The  blossoms  were  profuse,  and  there  had  been  no  frost  or  other 
atmospheric  cause  to  interfere.  But  the  first  crop  of  leaves  had  been  so  injured  by 
the  visitation  of  plant  lice  that  most  of  them  fell  off.  The  ground  for  a  few  days  was 
thickly  strewn  with  these  speckled  and  yellow  leaves.  Then  soon  fell  also  a  large 
portion  of  the  young  fruit.  But  now  the  leaves  and  fruit  both  look  well.  The  plant 
lice  here,  like  those  on  the  Peach  trees  and  Maple  trees  that  came  in  such  vast  num- 
bers with  the  first  bursting  of  the  leaf-buds,  are  now  all  gone. 

The  apples  in  this  orchard  are  less  punctured  by  the  Curculio  than  in  any  other 
orchard  I  have  yet  seen  this  year.  About  thirty  cows  are  now  grazing  here.  In 
other  seasons  the  grass  has  been  kept  short  all  over  the  ground,  but  this  year  the 
weather  has  been  so  favorable  that  the  growth  has  been  greater  than  thfi  cattle  could 
consume,  and  the  grass  is  now  browsed  close  only  under  the  trees.  Here  the  cattle  are 
attracted  partly  by  the  shade,  but  chiefly  by  the  apples — the  wind-falls — or  more  pro- 
perly speaking,  the  apples  that  fall  from  being  destroyed  by  the  grub  of  the  Curculio 
and  the  larva  of  the  Apple  Moth.  The  cows  eat  these  apples ;  the  embryo  enemies 
are  digested  by  them ;  and  the  next  crop  suffers  less  on  that  account.  Scarcely  a 
young  Curculio  will  escape  in  this  orchard.  Were  all  the  fruit  establishments  within 
ten  miles  as  faithfully  attended  to,  but  few  of  the  apples  would  fall  to  the  ground  so 
unseasonably  next  year.  But  the  neighboring  orchards  are  meadows,  or  under  culti- 
vation ;  the  punctured  fruit  that  falls  there  lies  undisturbed,  and  the  young  enemy 
escapes,  and  will  be  on  hand  the  next  season  to  torment  not  only  the  owner  but  his 
neighbors. 

June  12. — Found  two  Curculios  to-day.  Plums  that  were  stung  early  are  now 
falling  rapidly. 

We  have  been  eating  green  peas  from  the  garden  since  the  first  of  the  month, 
but  I  have  not  yet  seen  the  Pea  Bug.  This  beetle,  called  Pea-weevil — Pea-bruchus, 


THE    CURCULIO.  83 

is  the  Bruchus  Pm  of  Linnaeus,  Plate  6,  Fig.  9,  and  is  so  well  known  to  farmers  and 
gardeners  as  to  require  little  further  description.  This  insect  is  somewhat  similar  in 
size  and  appearance  to  the  Curculio,  and  some  writers  have  said  they  are  identical. 
A  reference  to  the  figures  of  the  two,  as  drawn  on  Plate  6,  will  show  a  marked  dif- 
ference ;  the  crushing  test  between  the  thumb  and  finger  will  give  additional  proof. 
The  Pea-bug  comes  to  its  growth  and  undergoes  its  transformation  in  the  substance 
of  the  pea.  By  opening  peas  containing  them,  late  in  the  fall,  you  may  see  the  young 
insects  fully  matured,  but  they  will  remain  there  till  the  warm  weather  of  the  next 
spring,  unless  the  peas  are  kept  in  apartments  artificially  heated ;  then  they  will  escape 
in  the  winter. 

Where  the  great  army  of  Pea-bugs  keep  themselves  from  the  beginning  of 
warm  weather  till  this  time  (June  nth)  it  is  difficult  to  say.  We  sometimes  meet 
with  them  in  places  of  concealment,  as  we  do  ants,  spiders,  flies,  lady-bugs,  squash- 
bugs,  &c.,  &c. — torpid  when  cold — animated  into  life  when  warmer  weather  comes. 
We  find  them  in  the  crannies  of  wooden  buildings,  fences,  and  walls,  and  there  they 
wait  their  proper  season.  These  early  peas,  planted  in  winter,  are  evidently  too 
early  for  the  Pea-bug.  She  is-  not  yet  ready.  The  Imperials,  the  Champions,  and 
Marrowfats,  and  those  sown  in  the  fields,  will  come  at  her  time.  Those  planted  in 
midsummer  for  fall  use  will  also  escape.  I  have  seen  no  account  of  the  exact  num- 
ber of  days  that  this  crop  is  in  danger  from  this  enemy,  but  it  is  a  shorter  period  than 
is  occupied  by  the  Curculio  for  depositing  her  eggs.  This  beetle,  like  the  Curculio, 
and  most  others  of  the  Coleoptera,  has  but  one  generation  in  a  year. 

The  Curculio  comes  to  maturity  in  the  last  half  of  July,  during  August  and 
September,  and  some  even  in  October.  The  mystery  with  many  writers  has  been — 
Where  does  it  live  till  the  next  May,  or  till  the  fruit  comes  to  the  proper  size  for  it 
to  use  ?  and  many  of  these  writers  lay  great  stress  on  this,  as  if  it  was  important  to 
be  ascertained.  Naturalists  should  know  ;  they  should  know  a  great  many  other 
things  that  could  be  learned  by  patient  investigation ;  but  practically,  fruit-growers 
have  no  occasion  for  such  knowledge.  They  know  that  with  the  coming  of  their 
young  fruits  will  come  also  the  Curculio,  unless  they  have  destroyed  it  in  its  embryo 
condition  in  the  blighted  fruit  the  year  before.  Where  they  come  from  or  how  they 
pass  the  winter  will  be  of  little  avail  to  prevent  them  from  destroying  the  coming 
crops.  Let  all  the  young  grubs  of  the  Curculio  in  the  blighted,  wormy  fruits,  be 
destroyed  while  in  that  state,  and  the  natural  history  of  its  winter  condition  will  be  of 
little  consequence.  Let  this  be  done  throughout  a  neighborhood,  a  township, 
county,  or  state,  and  the  sheet  and  jarring  process  will  not  be  so  much  required. 
The  man  who  owns  an  island  can,  with  proper  care  for  a  single  year,  rid  himself 


84  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

.  i 

not  only  of  the  Curculio,  but  of  nearly  all  the  other  insect  enemies  of  fruits  and  fruit 
trees.  But  ignorant,  careless  neighbors,  who  cannot  be  brought  to  terms,  are  a 
dreadful  encumbrance  to  the  man  who  fights  these  enemies  single-handed.  Either 
fruit-growers'  associations,  including  all  who  own  fruit  trees  in  a  neighborhood,  and 
having  laws  that  shall  be  enforced  absolutely,  and  that  will  compel  the  necessary 
attention  at  the  proper  time,  or  total  isolation  of  the  individual,  will  soon  become 
indispensable  to  insure  success. 

To-day  I  strolled  through  a  fruit  establishment  in  this  State  that  a  few  years  ago 
was  quite  celebrated.  Great  pains  were  taken  with  it  for  many  years  ;  more  thorough 
and  systematic  manuring  than  I  have  ever  known  in  any  orchard  was  practised ;  but 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  has  ever  been  done  to  guard  against  the  insect  enemies; 
and  a  more  melancholy  wreck  than  it  now  is  could  hardly  be  imagined.  Hogarth's 
"Last  of  all  Things"  would  serve  to  tell  the  story  of  this  fruit  establishment.  Apple 
trees  so  infested  with  the  Borer  as  to  be  irreclaimable — mere  nurseries  for  propagating 
this  terrible  insect  throughout  the  neighborhood;  Cherry  trees  becoming  all  knots; 
Peach  trees  full  of  worms ;  Plum  trees  mostly  cut  down — the  few  left,  bearing  profuse 
crops  of  choice  kinds,  but  all  felling  to  the  ground  when  half  grown.  Pear  trees  have 
been  grafted  and  re-grafted  till  the  right  kinds  are  at  length  found  ;  and  as  there  are  few 
Borers  in  them,  and  little  blight  in  New  Jersey  (the  Curculio  takes  but  a  part  of  the 
fruit,  and  the  Apple  Moth  leaves  some  of  the  remainder),  the  owner  generally  has 
some  proceeds  from  his  Pear  crop.  Had  this  man  understood  his  insect  enemies,  and 
fought  them  resolutely  from  the  beginning,  instead  of  neglecting  them  till  they 
became  masters,  he  might  now  have  had  a  fruit  establishment  not  only  to  be  proud  of, 
but  one  greatly  profitable,  besides  being  a  public  benefactor;  for  he  who  contributes 
largely  to  the  supply  of  wholesome  ripe  fruit  to  cities  like  New  York,  also  contributes 
vastly  to  the  pleasure  and  health  of  a  people  who  are  necessarily  confined  to  such  a 
residence  in  summer. 

Jyly  10. — After  an  interval  of  ten  days  I  am  again  in  the  old  orchard. 
The  same  herd  of  cows  is  still  here ;  but,  of  course,  the  rich  pasture  is  somewhat 
subdued,  though  much  of  the  first  growth  is  still  standing ;  it  is  dried  up,  however, 
and  not  so  tempting  as  a  young  crop.  Under  the  Apple  trees  the  grass  is  everywhere 
browsed  close,  and  the  apples  arc  not  seen  lying  on  the  ground  as  in  unpastured 
orchards.  Under  some  trees  I  could  find  five  or  six — seldom  more — and  they  always 
show  that  they  have  recently  fallen,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  stem.  Cows  feed  in 
company.  In  such  a  large  range  as  this  they  cannot  go  all  over  the  ground  in  a 
single  day,  "but  the  apples  are  gathered  up  just  as  often  as  they  do  go  all  over;  and 


THE    CURCULIO.  85 

what  is  more  for  fruit-growers,  the  embryo  enemies  within  them  are  placed  for  ever 
hors-de-conibat.  How  in  a  single  season  could  every  cow  in  this  state — in  every  state- 
be  made  to  double  her  value  if  only  properly  managed  ?  How  long — oh  !  how  long — 
must  we  wait  for  this  better  management  ?  Amateurs  have  improved  until  those  fruits 
figured  in  the  Frontispiece  of  this  book  are  but  common  samples  of  what  we  could 
have  in  abundance  everywhere — Apricots,  Plums,  Nectarines,  a  galaxy  of  luxuries— 
except  for  these  insect  enemies.  We  have  the  nurseries  to  furnish  the  supply ;  we 
have  lists  to  choose  from,  compiled  carefully  by  competent  authority;  we  have 
elaborate  instructions  how  to  prepare  the  ground,  to  plant,  to  prune  ;  but  we  let  these 
little  insects  come  without  hindrance  to  take  the  greater  part  and  deform  the  remainder. 
And  this  goes  on  year  after  year,  of  course  growing  worse.  Could  there  be  a  year 
without  a  blossom,  most  people  would  look  upon  it  as  a  misfortune.  Some  would 
interpret  it  as  a  visitation  from  the  Almighty  in  punishment  for  our  sins.  Still  it 
would  be  a  blessing.  The  Curculio  and  Apple  Moth  would  be  checked.  The  former 
would  probably  prolong  its  race  to  a  limited  extent  in  the  black  knot ;  but  still  its 
ravages  would  be  greatly  diminished.  Let  it  be  known  that  in  a  single  season  the 
hogs  and  cattle  could  do  an  equal  amount  of  good  without  the  punishment  of  a  year 
of  privation.  Let  there  be  fruit-growing  clubs  everywhere,  that  shall  make  rules  and 
enforce  them,  that  the  fruit  shall  le  protected  from  the  manageable  insect  enemies.  Impose 
fines,  punishments,  disgrace,  upon  all  who  neglect  the  duty.  The  Hessian  Fly,  the 
Wheat  Midge,  and  other  insect  enemies  have  compelled  farmers  for  a  time  to  stop 
the  cultivation  of  certain  crops  so  as  to  starve  them  out.  Our  hogs  and  cattle  have 
both  capacity  and  inclination  to  eat  the  Curculio  out  of  house  and  home  in  a  single 
season.  I  have  been  now  for  weeks  killing  poor  little  innocent  birds,  to  ascertain 
positively  what  they  feed  on;  and  one  object  was  to  find  which  would  destroy  the 
Curculio.  In  one,  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  I  have  found  the  bird  I  sought,  The  Baltimore 
Oriole  eats  the  Curculio.  Probably  many  other  birds  that  frequent  the  orchard  in  pursuit 
of  food,  and  feed  upon  beetles,  do  the  same  thing;  but  none  of  them  search  it  out 
exclusively.  Therefore,  good  as  most  of  the  birds  are  as  consumers  of  injurious 
insects,  and  though  the  world,  for  our  purposes,  would  soon  become  topsy-turvy 
without  them,  the  birds  cannot  be  relied  on  to  subdue  or  control  the  Curculio. 

A  few  minutes  ago  I  gave  fifty  apples  to  one  of  these  cows.  I  had  rambled 
over  much  of  this  orchard  to  find  them.  She  ate  them  all  in  less  than  five  minutes, 
and  then  looked  up  at  me  as  Oliver  Twist  looked  up  at  Bumble,  and  almost  as  plainly 
said,  "  more." 

July  11. — Examined  the  Curculios  to-day.     The  earth  in  the  flower-pots  and 


86  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

boxes  in  which  I  have  been  throwing  the  fallen  plums,  is  teeming  with  the  grubs.  A 
few  begin  to  show  embryo  legs  and  wings ;  but  none  are  yet  as  far  advanced  as  Figs. 
4  and  5,  Plate  6.  Most  are  still  larva?,  and  seem  to  be  busy  making  their  cells. 
Nearly  all  the  plums  are  now  empty,  showing  the  .holes,  as  in  Figs.  5  and  6,  Plate 
3,  where  they  have  gone  out.  Have  placed  gauze  over  them  to  prevent  escape. 
Find  no  Curculios  on  my  own  trees.  I  notice  that  Green  Gages  and  Bolmar  plums, 
now  falling  from  the  puncture  of  the  Curculio,  show  specks  of  rot.  This  certainly  is 
not  caused  by  wet  weather, 

July  12. — Tried  my  Plum  trees  this  morning,  but  found  no  Curculios.  Took 
the  canvas  and  mop-stick  to  Mr.  P.'s,  and  got  sixteen  from  four  trees.  Would  have 
tried  other  trees,  but  had  only  two  pill-boxes ;  and  owing  to  the  heat,  the  Curculios 
were  so  quick  in  their  motions,  I  could  manage  but  few  in  each.  Two  did  not 
always  escape  when  I  put  one  in,  but  one  was  pretty  sure  to  get  away  when  I  tried 
to  put  two  in. 

I  am  not  an  entomologist,  and  never  expect  to  be.  If  I  knew  all  about  all  the 
insects,  I  would  be  willing  to  accept  the  title.  The  fact  is,  I  do  not  believe  I  know 
all  about  any  one  insect  Here  I  have  been  watching  this  thing  twenty  years.  I  see 
it  come  into  the  mature  or  winged  condition  in  the  summer  and  fall.  The  next 
spring,  in  May,  it  will  be  depositing  eggs  in  fruit.  I  see  it  still  in  the  same  condition 
in  the  middle  of  July.  The  Pea  bug,  which  somewhat  resembles  it  in  appearance, 
runs  a  similar  career ;  but  most  other  insects  pass  much  the  largest  period  of  their 
lives  in  the  larva  state.  The  Cicada,  for  instance,  is  sixteen  years,  nine  months,  and 
ten  days  in  the  earth,  and  about  twenty  days  above  ground  in  its  perfected  form. 
Some  varieties  of  ephemera  will  be  four  years  under  water,  and  perhaps  only  that 
many  hours  in  the  winged  state,  in  the  air.  How  mysterious — how  wonderful  is  this 
little  insect  world  !  I  am  now  watching  these  sixteen  Curculios  in  a  glass  covered 
with  gauze.  They  have  two  plums,  and  a  few  of  them  creep  over  and  examine 
them,  especially  the  specks  of  gum;  but  the  greater  number  are  restless,  and 
try  to  get  out.  The  last  time,  about  two  weeks  ago,  that  I  examined  the 
operations  of  a  company  of  the  Curculios  on  fruit,  several  of  them  passed  a 
long  time  cutting  the  crescent  marks  ;  but  I  could  not  see  them  deposit  the 
egg.  I  now  wish  to  test  this  matter  further,  with  reference  to  the  rot  in  plums  about 
this  time. 

Mr.  Pierson's  man  has  been  gathering  the  blighted  apples  that  lay  in  the  walks, 
but  only  because  they  were  a  deformity  to  the  garden.  They  were  thrown  upon  the 
manure  heap,  where  the  Curculios  will  probably  have  just  as  good  a  chance  to  come 


THE   CURCULIO.  87 

to  maturity  for  next  year's  mischief  as  if  they  had  been  left  on  the  ground.  Mr.  P. 
has  hogs,  cattle,  and  horses,  that  would  have  been  glad  to  eat  them,  worms  and  all, 
but  he  has  been  so  disgusted  with  his  experience  in  fighting  the  insect  enemies,  that 
he  will  hardly  listen  kindly  to  further  advice.  He  probably  feels  as  Job  did  towards 
his  comforters  :  "  Ye  are  forgers  of  lies,  ye  are  all  physicians  of  no  value."  But  to-day, 
finding  he  had  done  such  a  foolish  thing,  instead  of  following  my  advice,  I  gave  it 
to  him  sharply.  I  gathered  up  the  apples  under  the  half  of  one  tree,  where  they 
had  not  fallen  on  the  walk.  I  was  just  sixteen  minutes  in  doing  it,  and  picked  them 
clean,  too,  and  there  were  960 ;  that  would  be  l  ,920  for  the  tree.  Probably  hun- 
dreds more  will  fall,  some  from  the  effects  of  the  Curculio,  some  from  the  Apple 
Moth.  In  many  of  these  apples  the  larva  both  of  the  Apple  Moth  and  Curculio 
had  escaped,  especially  the  latter.  In  some  I  counted  three  and  four  holes.  Of 
course  the  fallen  fruit  should  have  been  gathered  sooner  than  this;  even  apples 
should  not  be  permitted  to  lie  on  the  ground  later  than  the  last  week  in  June. 
Let  us  carry  this  further.  All  the  fallen  fruit  under  an  Apple  tree,  to  the  number 
of  2,000,  can  be  gathered  by  hand  in  about  half  an  hour — twenty  trees  in  a  day.  If 
your  trees  are  so  situated  that  the  hogs,  or  cattle,  or  horses,  or  sheep,  cannot  do  it  for 
you,  have  it  done  by  hand.  Do  it  yourself,  if  possible,  but  have  it  done,  and  well 
done.  Children  that  can  do  but  little  else  can  attend  to  this.  Stimulate  them  with 
a  fixed  pecuniary  reward  for  every  bushel.  No  money  could  be  better  invested. 
Let  a  neighborhood  do  it,  and  what  a  difference  in  the  fruit  crop  the  next  year ! 
Hundreds  of  people  ask,  "  Is  there  any  cure  for  the  Curculio  ?"  I  answer,  yes ; 
this! 

July  14. — My  sixteen  Curculios  from  Mr.  P.'s  are  still  alive.  The  two  plums 
given  to  them  at  the  time  are  now  punctured  in  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty 
places ;  cut  with  the  end  of  the  proboscis,  as  usual.  Eggs  were  found  in  about 
a  dozen  of  these  crescent  cuts.  In  some  the  insects  had  eaten  cavities,  as  if  for  food, 
but  in  most  there  was  only  the  crescent  mark,  though  in  others  they  had  also  made 
the  centre  opening,  as  if  destined  for  the  egg. 

I  examined  my  box  of  young  Curculios  to-day,  and  found  that  eleven  had  come 
up  out  of  the  ground  fully  matured,  the  colors  as  dark  as  those  of  the  old  ones,  but 
of  much  brighter  tints  than  the  parents  are  in  their  old  age.  Here  is  another  com- 
plication. Two  generations  of  Curculios  at  the  same  time !  One  is  trouble  enough 
certainly,  but  I  shall  try  to  see  and  record  the  doings  of  both.  I  have  placed  this 
new  brood  in  a  glass  vessel  with  a  gauze  covering,  and  given  them  plums  and  pears. 

A  near  neighbor  has  an  Apricot  tree  that  stands  against  his  house.     I  have 


88  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

watched  it  for  years,  and  I  have  not  seen  a  mark  of  a  Curculio  on  any  of  the  fruit. 
He  has  also  many  Plum,  Peach,  and  other  fruit  trees  in  his  yard,  but  none  of  them 
so  near  the  house  as  the  Apricot  tree.  All  these  suffer  severely  from  the  Curculio. 
Instances  of  such  exemption  from  Curculio  depredations  have  often  come  to  my 
knowledge.  I  had  such  on  my  own  place.  This  neighbor  has  many  common  Plum 
trees,  standing  where  they  came  up  as  sprouts ;  common  sorts,  proper  subjects  for  the 
black  knots.  These  knots  are  now  perforated  in  all  parts,  though  generally  from 
one  end  to  the  other  in  the  centre,  by  grubs  of  Curculio.  The  yellow-brown  powder 
is  issuing  from  openings  all  over  these  knots.  Many  of  these  have  now  come  out, 
as  from  plums  or  apples,  and  gone  into  the  ground.  Let  any  one  who  doubts  this 
try  the  experiment;  it  is  easily  done.  Earth  in  flower-pots  will  do;  and  if  covered 
up  with  gauze,  the  beetles  can  be  secured  for  examination.  Those  bred  from  the 
plums  and  plum  knots  will  be  found  identical.  In  this  I  do  not  wish  to  be  under- 
stood to  say  that  it  is  the  Curculio  that  causes  the  black  knots  on  Plum  and  Cherry 
trees,  but  I  do  intend  to  be  understood  to  say  that  the  Curculio  is  bred  in  many  of 
the  black  knots  on  both  of  these  trees.  Some  years  ago  one  of  the  agricultural 
papers  gave  an  account,  from  a  correspondent  in  Canada,  of  an  Ichneumon  Fly  breed- 
ing in  the  Curculio ;  but  it  was  in  the  grub  as  found  in  the  black  knot. 


July  15. — The  young  Curculios  I  find  nibble  at  a  pear,  but  cut  no  crescent 
marks,  and  make  no  holes  with  the  proboscis,  as  the  old  females  do.  I  dissected  eight 
of  them,  but  found  neither  eggs  nor  signs  of  tliem.  I  then  examined  three  old  ones,  and  in 
one  found  a  single  egg,  and  on  a  careful  examination  of  a  plum,  which  these  three 
had  had  for  two  days,  I  found  three  eggs  more.  This  having  two  generations  of  Cur- 
culios on  hand  at  the  same  time  is  not  so  complicated  an  affair  as  it  appears  to  be  at 
first.  These  experiments  prove  that  those  of  this  year  are  not  so  far  matured  as  to  be 
ready  for  the  great  purpose  of  their  lives — the  propagation  of  their  species.  Female 
insects  which  pass  but  a  short  time  in  the  winged  or  perfect  condition,  as  moths,  but- 
terflies, cicadas,  etc.,  will  be  found  to  contain  eggs  at  the  time  of  emerging  from  the 
chrysalis,  and  the  sexes  come  together  almost  immediately.  But  with  these  young 
Curculios  the  case  is  different  Some  that  have  been  kept  in  a  green-house  until 
mid-winter,  as  they  have  been  by  Peter  B.  Mead,  myself,  and  some  others  I  have 
heard  of,  will  be  found  pairing,  but  this  must  be  considered  as  the  effect  of  the  artifi- 
cial temperature.  Out  of  doors  they  will  be  in  the  condition  of  others  of  their  class, 
as  lady-bugs,  asparagus  beetles,  and  pea-bugs,  too  nearly  dormant  at  all  times  in  the 
winter  to  show  much  activity;  often  they  will  be  frozen  solid.  Occasionally  there 


THE    CURCULIO.  89 

/ 

will  be  a  day  so  warm  that  many  of  these  insects  will  be  noticed  peeping  out,  but 
there  will  be  no  signs  of  intercourse  between  the  sexes. 

That  degree  of  temperature  that  draws  forth  the  bud  and  the  blossom  the  next 
spring,  brings  these  Curculios  to  that  stage  of  life  that  their  eggs  will  be  ready  for 
the  young  fruit  when  the  young  fruit  will  be  ready  for  the  eggs.  The  idea  of  some 
writers,  that  there  are  two  generations  of  this  insect  that  prey  upon  the  fruits  the  same 
year — one  generation  early  in  the  season,  another  later — has  been  proved  to  be  erro- 
neous. Two  generations  there  are  undoubtedly  living  at  the  same  time,  but  I  have 
only  been  able  to  find  the  egg  in  the  female  of  the  older  generation. 

July  16. — The  last  time  I  was  at  the  orchard  of  my  friend,  Mr.  P.,  jarring  some 
of  his  Plum  trees  for  Curculios,  I  tried  also  the  experiment  how  many  of  the  little 
apples  I  could  pick  in  a  given  time.  I  had  put  about  a  bushel  of  these  blighted 
apples  in  my  canvas,  and  tied  them  up  so  that  I  could  see  on  my  next  visit  how  many 
of  the  grubs  of  the  Curculio  and  larvse  of  the  Apple  Moth  would  have  come  to  their 
growth,  and  escaped  from  the  fruit.  But  the  sheet  had  been  seen  lying  there,  and 
was  supposed  to  be  the  cover  of  the  carriage.  It  was  ordered  to  be  taken  up,  and  the 
apples,  worms,  and  all,  being  emptied  upon  the  ground,  my  experiment  was  spoilt. 
These  apples  had  been  emptied  in  a  heap,  and  we  gathered  them  up  carefully ;  the 
little  spots  of  brown  powder  that  had  fallen  out  where  the  worms  had  made  the  holes 
to  escape  from  the  apples  were  plainly  to  be  seen.  Many  of  the  openings  could  also 
be  detected  where  the  grubs  had  gone  into  the  ground.  Some  I  found  about  an  inch 
under  the  surface.  But  the  ground  here,  from  the  excessive  drought,  was  too  hard  to 
dig  much  with  a  pocket  knife  (and  I  had  nothing  else),  and  hundreds  of  my  friend's 
enemies  will  probably  come  up  from  this  spot  to  torment  him  next  year,  unless  this 
dry  weather  should  last  a  few  weeks  longer. 

July  17. — I  have  been  jarring  four  of  Mr.  Pierson's  Plum  trees  to-day,  and  caught 
nine  Curculios.  The  jarring  brought  down  a  great  number  of  plums.  I  counted  160 
that  fell  from  one  side  of  one  tree,  and  all  the  effect  of  the  Curculio. 

July  18. — The  nine  Curculios  caught  yesterday  have  been  kept  in  a  bottle  with 
two  Plums  (the  Quetsche).  They  have  left  many  marks,  and  deposited  a  few  eggs, 
but  this  kind  of  plum  seems  too  hard  to  suit  them.  The  Green  Gage  or  Bolmar 
would  have  shown  more  marks  in  the  same  time. 

July  20. — On  a  tour  of  observation  to  Western  New  York.    In  a  ramble  in  the 


90  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

outskirts  of  Buffalo  and  Black  Rock,  I  found  some  fruit  trees  in  the  pasture  lots  and 
gardens.  The  black  knots  were  on  the  Plum  trees,  but  I  saw  none  on  the  Cherry 
trees,  as  in  New  Jersey  and  many  other  places.  In  this  ramble  of  several  hours  I 
examined  all  the  Apple  trees  that  I  could  approach  without  seeming  to  be  too  curious 
about  the  gardens  of  strangers.  I  saw  no  marks  of  the  apples  having  been  punctured 
by  the  Curculio.  A  few  showed  signs  of  the  Apple  Moth ;  but  apples  so  fair  I  had 
not  seen  for  many  years.  It  was  truly  refreshing.  I  had  just  come  from  the  orchards 
of  New  Jersey  and  Eastern  New  York,  where  half  the  apples  had  already  fallen,  and 
most  of  the  remainder  were  blighted  and  deformed  by  the  Curculio,  and  I  was  amazed 
at  such  a  vision.  It  was  a  new  sensation.  Whether  this  is  so  every  year  in  this  locality, 
or  whether  there  had  been  a  drought  the  preceding  year  just  at  the  right  time,  I  was 
unable  to  find  out.  At  3  p.  M.  I  started  in  an  omnibus  for  Williamsville,  ten  miles 
east  of  Buffalo,  and  two  or  three  miles  further,  on  foot,  brought  me  to  the  home  of 
the  parents  of  my  friend  Anthony  Hochstein,  the  artist,  to  whom  this  book  is  indebted 
for  its  artistic  merits.  The  apple  orchards  here  were,  like  the  few  trees  near  Black 
Rock,  well  loaded  with  fruit,  and  there  were  no  signs  of  the  Curculio.  I  was  told 
that  the  plums  were  entirely  destroyed  every  year  by  the  Curculio,  but  I  saw  none; 
a  few  peaches  in  the  garden  here  were  badly  punctured. 

July  21. — In  returning  to  Buffalo  I  preceded  the  stage  on  foot  several  miles  to 
examine  the  orchards  along  the  road,  and  found  scarcely  any  Curculio  marks.  The 
Apple  Moth  had  been  at  work,  though  not  badly.  There  were  plenty  of  the  tent 
caterpillars.  In  the  afternoon,  took  a  long  stroll  about  the  city.  Saw  one  Plum  tree 
full  of  fruit,  but  it  stood  close  to  a  house.  Bough  apples  were  on  the  stands  in  the 
shops.  They  were  badly  marked  by  the  Curculio,  but  they  had  come  from  further 
South,  probably  from  Cleveland,  Ohio.  The  season  at  Buffalo  is  two  weeks  later 
than  at  Newark,  New  Jersey.  Cherries  and  Doolittle  Black  Caps  were  now  in  per- 
fection here,  but  they  were  all  gone  many  days  before  I  left  home. 

t 

July  23. — The- nine  Curculios  caught  last  I  found  dead  when  I  returned.  The 
Bartlett  Pear  given  them  was  untouched. 

July  28. — Took  a  trip  down  the  New  York  bay  to  enjoy  the  sea  breeze  during 
the  heat  of  the  day.  In  a  ramble  on  the  eastern  end  of  Staten  Island  I  examined 
the  trees  as  far  as  possible,  but  most  of  them  were  without  fruit,  and  showed  signs  of 
rough  usage.  A  man  with  an  excitable  temper  should  not  live  near  a  steamboat  or 
railroad  landing,  or,  if  he  does,  should  not  attempt  raising  fruit.  Those  who  do  not 


THE    CURCULIO.  Ql 

believe  in  the  doctrine  of  original  sin  can  know  very  little  about  boys,  who,  it 
was  plainly  to  be  seen,  had  been  at  work  here.  Some  boys  would  be  as  useful  as 
pigs  or  cows  in  destroying  defective  fruit,  but  others  are  good  for  nothing,  as  they 
spit  out  the  worms. 

July  31. — I  have  been  examining  the  colonies  of  young  Curculios.  Those  from 
the  plums  are  nearly  all  perfected ;  that  is,  the  grubs  have  become  beetles.  The 
worm,  as  we  call  it,  as  met  with  in  the  fruit,  has  become  a  winged  insect,  as  unlike 
its  former  self  as  a  bud  would  be  unlike  a  blossom,  or  a  tadpole  unlike  a  frog. 
About  one  in  ten  were  still  under  the  ground,  their  transformation  not  yet  completed. 
One  only  had  not  yet  begun  to  change,  but  had  made  its  cell,  and  was  waiting. 
The  apples  are  producing  very  few  Curculios  in  proportion  to  the  number  stung, 
which  appeared  to  have  fallen  prematurely  from  that  cause. 

The  Curculio,  during  the  fall,  feeds  on  both  leaves  and  fruits.  It  will  make 
plums  or  soft  apples  or  pears  cellular  with  little  excavations  into  the  pulp.  Often 
it  will  be  found  stuck  fast  and  dead  in  the  fruit  that  has  rotted. 

The  Curculio  requires  plenty  of  air.  It  will  soon  die  in  a  box  or  vial  if  the  air 
is  excluded ;  but  I  have  kept  them  for  weeks  in  pint  or  quart  glass  bottles  with  large 
mouths,  if  covered  with  milliner.,  or  corks  with  holes  in.  In  their  efforts  to  escape 
they  will  often  work  through  botli  millinet  and  cork.  I  have  known  them  nibble 
the  latter  till  it  became  perfectly  cellular,  and  they  were  covered  with  the  dust,  as 
a  bee  often  is  with  pollen. 

Aug.  l. — In  a  walk  in  one  of  our  quiet  streets,  where  most  of  the  houses  have 
neat  little  gardens  attached,  I  noticed  two  Apricot  trees  with  a  fair  crop  of  fruit,  and 
quite  ripe.  Apricots  this  year  are  small,  owing  to  the  excessive  drought,  and  these 
were  a  small  variety,  but  very  pretty,  the  rich  yellow  giving  them  a  tempting  look. 
Moorparks  would  have  been  three  times  the  size.  These  Apricot  trees  were  as  large 
as  old  Plum  trees.  There  are  few  more  elegant  ornaments  of  the  home  than  such 
trees  when  loaded  with  ripe  Apricots;  which  besides  giving  plenty  for  the  family, 
enable  us  to  send  a  basketful  to  an  invalid  friend,  or  the  wounded  soldier  in  a  mili- 
tary hospital.  This  world  is  not  yet  quite  all  bad,  and  it  can  soon  be  improved  if  we 
go  to  work  resolutely  and  save  the  fruits.  Reader,  take  another  look  at  the  Apricot 
in  the  Frontispiece,  and  then  say,  the  Curculio  shall  no  longer  stand  let&een  thee  and  me, 
and  let  all  the  neighbors  say  Amen. 

In  a  further  walk  to-day  through  several  of  the  streets  of  this  city,  where 
well-to-do  mechanics  live,  I  noticed  that  most  of  the  Plum  trees  bore  some  fruit, 


12 


C)2  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

and  some  were  quite  full.  These  trees  are  generally  old  and  large,  but  being  in 
small  gardens,  and  planted  too  near  together,  grow  tall.  Many  were  near  build- 
ings; those  with  most  fruit  on  were  very  near  white  houses.  The  principal 
varieties  were  Bolmar's,  Yellow  Egg,  Green  and  Blue  Gages,  Golden  Drop,  and 
some  of  more  common  sorts.  Probably  none  of  the  newer  kinds  are  planted.  The 
people  have  so  universally  yielded  to  the  dreaded  Curculio,  that  the  raising  of  Plum 
trees  in  the  nurseries  in  this  part  of  the  country  has  been  abandoned 

In  a  visit  to  Mr.  P.'s  to-day,  I  jarred  four  of  his  Plum  trees  over  a  large  sheet, 
but  caught  only  one  Curculio ;  probably  the  last  of  the  season,  but  its  terrible  effects 
still  remained.  Down  came  the  plums  by  dozens.  These  were  all  superior  sorts, 
and  now  nearly  as  large  as  when  ripe.  In  another  month  they  would  have  been  very 
tempting.  Upon  a  careful  examination  of  a  great  number,  I  could  find  the  crescent 
mark  in  all,  but  not  a  single  grub.  Many  were  quite  rotten,  some  half,  some  only  a 
speck ;  and  some  had  fallen  without  any  sign  of  decay,  as  they  do  earlier  in  the  sea- 
son. Many  people  attribute  the  rotting  of  plums  just  before  the  period  of  ripening, 
to  the  weather.  This  year,  if  the  weather  was  the  cause,  it  was  too  dry.  Last  year, 
as  it  rained  all  the  time,  it  must  have  been  too  wet.  The  weather  is  always  a  con- 
venient resource  to  those  who  do  not  look  for  causes  beyond  it.  With  some,  be  it 
hot  or  cold,  or  wet  or  dry,  it  is  all  the  same.  The  weather,  undoubtedly,  has  an 
influence  upon  delicate  fruits  when  nearly  ripe.  Cherries,  apricots,  plums,  and  even 
some  pears,  will  spoil  rapidly,  if  the  weather  should  be  wet,  foggy,  and  hot  (what  is 
usually  known  as  dog-day  weather),  at  this  critical  time.  But  now,  a  month  before 
the  plums  are  ripe,  no  weather  will  cause  them  to  rot,  unless  there  is  a  wound.  I 
have  known  the  striking  of  hail-stones  on  plums  make  a  bruise  sufficient  to  cause 
them  to  rot  But  there  seems  to  be  a  poison  from  the  punctures  of  the  Curculio  late 
in  the  season  that  is  peculiarly  fatal ;  what  it  is,  it  would  be  difficult  to  say.  It  is 
certain  that  the  egg  is  not  often  hatched  when  deposited  in  fruit  when  the  pit  is 
maturing.  This  may  be  observed  not  only  in  the  plum,  but  in  the  pear,  nectarine, 
and  apricot.  Many  such  fall,  more  or  less  decayed ;  others  will  remain  upon  the 
tree  and  dry  up  (see  Plate  1 ,  Figure  5,  and  Plate  5,  Figure  6).  Early  in  the  season, 
in  the  plum,  nectarine,  and  apricot,  the  egg  is  nearly  always  hatched,  and  the  young 
grub  comes  to  maturity.  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  the  acid  juices  of  the 
maturing  fruits  may  interfere,  but  I  have  no  proof,  and  my  readers  must  not  mistake 
a  mere  suggestion  for  a  theory.  I  have  had  too  much  experience  to  indulge  in  any 
theories  on  insect  operations. 

The  plums  that  fell  to-day  on  jarring  the  trees  had  been  punctured  by  Curculios, 
and  most  of  them  were  more  or  less  rotted.  'Those  without  Curculio  marks  were 


THE    CURCULIO.  93 

sound,  and  stuck  fast  in  spite  of  the  jarring.  Wet  weather  could  not  have  been  the 
cause,  for  we  have  had  but  one  rain  for  six  weeks,  and  that  lasted  only  half  a  day.  It 
has  been  very  warm  at  times;  so  it  is  every  year.  You  wicked  ones,  who  are  so 
prone  to  ascribe  your  misfortunes  to  the  weather,  refrain  from  all  such  croakings. 
The  weather  is  regulated  with  a  wisdom  far  beyond  man's  comprehension  ;  cease  to 
blame  it,  and  look  to  other  causes.  Your  own  want  of  knowledge,  or  your  own 
neglect,  will  often  account  for  your  troubles.  When  your  Plums  rot  just  as  you  think 
they  are  safe  and  almost  ready  for  the  market,  ascribe  it  to  the  Curculio  and  not  to 
the  weather. 

Ten  days  ago  I  left  a  bag  at  Mr.  P.'s  to  be  filled  with  the  falling  apples.  To-day 
I  examined  it.  The  bag  was  open.  I  had  requested  it  to  be  tied  up  when  filled  ; 
but  John's  knowledge  of  English  being  poor,  and  mine  of  French  not  much  better, 
the  young  enemies  had  a  chance  to  escape.  In  this  bag  I  found  thirty-one  worms  of 
the  Apple  Moth.  Most  of  them  had  formed  their  cocoons,  attaching  them  to  the 
inside  of  the  bag.  Some  were  still  among  the  apples.  How  many  I  should  have 
found  had  the  bag  been  tied  cannot  be  known.  Only  three  grubs  of  the  Curculio 
were  to  be  seen  ;  but  there  was  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  bag  that  one  had  made, 
and  many  may  have  escaped  there.  This  experience  was  the  reverse  of  what  might 
have  been  expected,  certainly  different  from  that  of  other  years. 

On  examining  these  apples  scarcely  one  could  be  found  that  had  not  been  punc- 
tured by  the  Curculio,  and  many  have  more  than  one  mark.  Cutting  these  little 
apples  into  pieces  I  readily  saw  the  minute  roads  which  the  young  grubs  had  made, 
as  in  PL  5,  Fig.  4,  but  all  had  come  to  an  untimely  end  before  they  had  reached  such 
a  size  as  to  be  plainly  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  In  other  seasons  I  have  found  the 
grubs  in  such  proportions  to  the  apples,  in  experiments  of  this  kind,  that  a  double 
handful  might  have  been  gathered  from  such  a  bagful.  And  this  has  been  my 
experience  nearly  always  for  twenty  years  till  this  season.  What  had  brought  them 
to  this  sudden  end  this  year  I  do  not  know.  The  influence  of  the  weather  on  some 
insects  is  well  known.  That  a  drought  of  some  duration  during  the  period  of  trans- 
formation in  the  ground  is  fatal  to  the  Curculio,  I  have  proved  again  and  again.  I 
suppose  the  earlier  drought  of  this  season  killed  them  in  the  fruits  ;  but  I  have  no 
proof  to  offer,  and  it  is  only  an  opinion.  We  have  had  two  days  this  season  when 
the  mercury  in  the  thermometer  indicated  1  00°  in  the  shade.  This  intense  heat  may 
have  killed  these  young  grubs  even  in  the  apples;  but  of  this  I  am  not  certain. 


.  4.—  CROOKED  LAKE,  YATES  Co.,  N.  Y.  —  The  Peach  trees  here  have  a 
very  thin  crop  this  year,  and  most  of  the  fruit  on  those  I  have  been  able  to  examine 


94  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

is  badly  stung  by  the  Curculio.     The  crop  of  apples  is  better,  but  it  also  is  badly 
injured  by  this  enemy. 

Aug.  5. — This  part  of  the  country  is  devoted  to  wool-growing,  Merino  sheep 
abound.  I  encountered  a  company  of  some  twenty  bucks  in  an  orchard.  They  are 
queer-looking  animals.  Imagine  a  Broadway  exquisite  and  one  of  these  sheep 
brought  face  to  face,  and  the  former  to  be  told  that  the  coat  that  makes  him  about 
all  he  is,  had  been  worn  a  whole  year  by  the  latter,  before  it  had  fallen  to  his  portion- 
that  the  man  is  the  shoddy  of  the  sheep !  What  man  owes  to  this  uncouth  Merino 
woman  owes  to  a  repulsive  caterpillar ;  and  how  little  credit  either  ever  gives  to  the 
real  producer  of  what  they  are  so  proud  of.  "  Such  is  life." 

I  have  been  called  the  "  Curculio  man."  I  certainly  have  tried  to  find  out  how 
most  successfully  to  secure  our  fruits  from  the  depredations  of  this  insect.  Some 
men  write  long  articles  about  the  comparative  values  of  the  domestic  animals,  but 
the  Curculio-destroying  merit  has  seldom  entered  into  these  calculations.  Those 
who  have  Merino  bucks  valued  at  a  thousand  dollars  a  head,  may,  after  the  experi- 
ence of  to-day,  add  a  good  many  more  dollars  to  this  thousand.  No  apples  were  to 
be  seen  lying  on  the  ground  here.  I  picked  some  green  and  hard  from  the  trees, 
and  the  sheep  ate  them  with  avidity.  One  of  them  amused  me  by  his  repeated 
attempts  to  help  himself  from  a  pendent  branch  ;  he  could  just  touch  the  apple  with 
his  nose,  when  standing  straight  up  on  his  hind  feet,  but  the  fruit  would  slip  away  as 
he  attempted  to  take  it.  The  part  he  could  reach  was  a  segment  of  too  large  a  cir- 
cle for  that  narrow  mouth.  He  tried  again  and  again ;  the  seventh  attempt  was 
successful.  "  Patience  and  perseverance  overcome  difficulties."  Sheep  may  be 
added  to  the  other  domestic  animals  qualified  to  settle  the  Curculio  question. 

Aug.  6. — The  approach  to  Rochester  from  the  east  shows  to  what  an  immense 
extent  the  nursery  business  is  carried  on,  and  a  visit  to  Ellwanger  and  Barry  proves 
that  it  must  be  profitable,  at  least  in  one  instance.  I  was  in  pursuit  of  an  apricot  for 
illustrating  this  book — a  Moorpark,  such  as  I  have  grown  by  hundreds  of  bushels  on 
the  Upper  Hudson,  but  could  find  none — a  few  trees,  but  no  fruit  The  Plum 
orchard  in  this  establishment  is  superb,  and  well  loaded  with  fruit  Here  can  be 
seen  most  of  the  kinds  now  known ;  and  how  any  one  who  has  seen  such  an 
orchard  can  resist  the  temptation  to  have  one  for  himself,  is  marvellous. — Let  us  hope 
that  this  magnificent  fruit,  now  so  neglected,  will  soon  be  restored.  These  gentle- 
men have  it  every  year.  The  Curculio  is  in  Rochester,  and  would  take. their  plums, 
but  they  do  not  let  it  Others  can  do  the  same.  There  is  no  mystery  about  it 


THE    CURCULIO.  95 

They  have  no  nostrum,  no  Curculio  cure,  and  they  know  there  is  none.  There  is 
prevention ;  but  if  it  has  not  been  practised,  and  the  Curculio  comes  upon  the  young 
plums,  they  are  jarred  down  upon  canvas  and  killed. 

The  Jaune  Hative  was  now  ripe,  and  looked  tempting ;  but,  like  the  earliest 
Peaches  or  Pears,  not  so  fine  as  later  kinds.  Some  varieties  were  rotting,  and  where 
they  grew  in  clusters  were  affecting  all  they  touched.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  the 
puncture  of  the  Curculio  had  been  the-  cause.  The  foreman  remarked  that  the 
jarring  had  not  been  continued  long  enough. 

dug.  y. — NIAGARA  FALLS. — Rambled  round  Goat  Island  before  breakfast.  It 
contains  sixty-two  and  a  half  acres,  chiefly  the  original  forest.  Great  trees  of  bass 
wood,  elm,  maple,  some  that  had  trembled  every  moment  for  centuries  from  the 
pouring  of  this  mighty  torrent  of  water.  Near  the  bridge  is  a  house  and  garden.  A 
few  fruit  trees  were  growing  here.  The  apples  were  very  badly  deformed  by  both 
the  Curculio  and  Apple  Moth.  Peaches  also  suffered  from  the  former.  A  tree  of 
Sweet  Bough  apples  at  Suspension  Bridge  was  examined.  Half  the  fruit  was  spoilt 
by  these  two  enemies. 

Aug.  10. — Home  again,  and  have  been  examining  some  of  my  insect  propa- 
gating houses  to-day.  The  Curculios  from  plums  have  all  escaped,  having  forced 
openings  through  the  millinet  or  gau/.e  coverings.  The  Curculio  is  hard  to  manage, 
but  wire  gauze  would  have  prevented  this.  Those  from  the  bushel  of  apples  from 
Mr.  P.'s  are  now  in  the  ground,  undergoing  their  change ;  but  I  see  very  few  of  them, 
considering  the  number  of  apples,  and  the  proportion  of  other  years. 

Aug.  u. — Much  has  been  written  about  catching  injurious  insects  in  wide- 
mouthed  bottles  partly  filled  with  sweetened  fluids.  Some  have  said  that  they  have 
caught  the  Curculio  in  that  way.  I  have  an  impression  that  a  great  many  people  do 
not  know  the  Curculio  when  they  see  it.  For  some  days  I  kept  a  bottle  thus  pre- 
pared, hanging  in  a  tree  in  the  garden.  When  I  returned  from  my  recent  trip  of  a 
few  days  it  was  full.  It  was  bridged,  so  that  more  insects  could  go  in  and  not  be 
drowned.  It  is  said  that  there  are  ants  in  South  America  that,  when  they  emigrate, 
move  in  a  straight  line,  never  turning  aside,  no  matter  what  may  be  the  obstruction. 
If  they  encounter  a  stream  of  water  they  rush  right  in,  until  it  is  so  bridged  with 
their  bodies  that  the  rest  can  go  over  with  safety.  So  it  was  with  this  trap.  I 
took  out  the  insects,  separated  and  counted  them.  There  were  571  flies  of  eight 
different  species,  8  small  moths,  3  mosquitoes,  i  lace-wing  fly,  and  i  wasp. 


96  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

Not  one  of  the  white  moths  that  are  now  so  numerous — the  mature  insect  from  the 
army  of  caterpillars  that  made  such  sad  havoc  with  the  foliage  of  our  fruit  trees  a 
month  ago.  The  flies  I  have  not  yet  examined  closely.  Many  of  them  are  the 
blue  and  green  bottle-flies,  the  maggots  of  which  are  the  consumers  of  decaying  ani- 
mals. A  very  large  proportion  were  those  flies  that  extend  their  wings  out  at  right 
angles  from  the  body,  and  have  brown  heads  and  bodies.  These  breed  in  and  con- 
sume the  filth  about  our  houses  and  barns.  I  noticed  some  varieties  of  the  sulphus- 
fly  that  deposits  its  eggs  in  colonies  of  plant  lice,  on  which  the  young  maggot  feeds, 
and  thus  befriends  the  gardener.  Many  also  of  the  parasitic  class,  that  deposit  their 
eggs  on  the  sides  of  large  caterpillars,  near  the  head.  The  young  from  the  eggs  eat 
into  these  caterpillars,  and,  there  feed  upon  their  living  flesh,  finally  destroying 
them ;  and  these  also  are  often  our  friends.  The  lace-wing  is  also  an  enemy  to  the 
plant  lice.  The  wasp's  reputation  is  equivocal.  He  destroys  insects,  but  will  also 
eat  our  ripe  fruits. 

In  order  to  make  a  more  exact  test,  I  repeated  this  experiment  for  twenty-four 
hours.  The  number  of  victims  was  281.  The  kinds  of  insects  were  about  the 
same,  and  nearly  in  the  same  proportions  as  at  first.  To  this  statement  I  find 
appended  in  my  diary  the  following  observations  :  "  This  is  a  poor  business,  and  I 
shall  stop  it  What  right  have  I  to  destroy  these  hundreds  of  flies,  when  we  are  cer- 
tain that  most  of  them  are  useful,  and  we  do  not  know  that  any  of  them  are  injurious! 
If  I  had  found  the  Curculio,  Apple  Moth,  Aphides,  Pear  or  Apple  Tree  Borers,  or 
Mosquitoes  in  any  proportion  to  the  vast  army  of  this  pest  now  filling  the  air ;  had  the 
flies  been  of  the  kind  that  annoy  us  in  the  house,  or  had  I  caught  the  moths  of  the 
caterpillars  that  have  been  so  troublesome,  there  would  have  been  some  excuse. 
But  this  is  like  firing  into  a  crowd  of  friends  in  hopes  of  killing  an  enemy." 

Aug.  13,  14,  and  15. — Am  passing  a  few  days  in  the  northern  part  of  New 
Jersey,  to  escape  the  distressing  heat  of  the  city.  I  spend  hours  in  the  old  orchards- 
Have  been  cutting  the  blighted  apples  till  knife  and  hands  are  black  and  sticky  with 
the  juice.  Find  no  grubs  of  the  Curculio,  but  thousands  of  their  marks.  The  cres- 
cents had  been  made,  the  eggs  deposited,  most  of  them  had  been  hatched,  and  the 
young  Curculio  had  started  on  its  rambles  towards  the  centre  of  the  fruit.  Its  path- 
way could  be  traced  by  a  brown  or  green  mark,  as  seen  in  Plate  5,  Figure  4.  This 
mark  is  not  visible  when  first  made ;  but,  like  a  wound  in  the  flesh  of  the  apple 
from  any  cause,  soon  becomes  discolored.  My  experience  here  was  similar  to  that 
in  Mr.  P.'s  orchard  in  Newark.  The  grubs  of  the  Curculio  were  nearly  all  dead. 

Aug.  16. — I  have  seen  an  old  apple  orchard  to-day  so  different  from  others  in 


THE    CURCULIO. 


97 


the  neighborhood  of  the  same  age,  that  I  visited  the  owner  to  find  out  the  cause. 
He  told  me  that  thirty  years  ago  the  ground  in  this  one  had  had  a  coat  of  lime,  the 
others  none,  and  that  this  was  the  cause  of  the  difference ;  but  he  could  not  tell  me  why 
the  fruit  was  so  much  fairer  and  the  crop  larger.  I  asked  him  if  it  had  generally  been 
used  as  pasture  ground  for  horses,  cows,  and  hogs,  as  it  was  then.  He  said  it  had. 

Aug.  17. — While  detained  at  the  neighboring  village  of  Dover,  waiting  for 
the  train,  I  inspected  an  old  apple  orchard  with  broken  fences,  and  where  the  cattle 
and  other  animals  grazed  without  restraint.  The  fruit  here  was  like  that  seen  yester- 
day, quite  fair.  These  are  suggestive  facts. 

Aug.  19. — Yesterday  was  warm  and  wet,  such  weather  as  hurries  on  the  ripening 
of  the  fruit.  Green  Gages,  with  dry  weather,  will  last  in  perfection  a  week  or  ten 
days  ;  but  now  many  of  them  are  cracked,  and  the  wasps  and  flies  find  how  good  they 
are.  The  period  of  nectar  that  these  fine  old  plums  afford  will  be  short  this  year.  After 
the  hard  fight  with  the  Curculio  it  is  a  disappointment  to  be  able  to  enjoy  them  so 
short  a  time.  In  England  and  other  parts  of  Europe  where  they  have  no  Curculio, 
most  people  know  practically  what  the  Green  Gage  is ;  but  here  the  knowledge  is 
confined  to  the  older  generation,  and  with  most  people  it  is  only  a  tradition.  Almost 
every  one  has  a  standard  of  excellence  in  fruit.  I  have  seen  a  catalogue  of  the  great 
nursery  at  Angers  in  France,  in  which  the  Seckel  pear  was  pronounced  the  best  in 
the  world.  I  have  eaten  this  pear  from  the  original  tree  in  Kingsessing,  Pennsylvania, 
and  from  other  trees  equally  good.  Were  it  not  for  the  Green  Gage  I  should  say 
that  it  is  not  only  the  best  Pear  but  the  best  fruit  in  the  world.  But  though  other 
Pears  are  not  equal  in  excellence  to  the  Seckel,  yet  in  other  respects  many  have  great 
advantages  over  it.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Plums.  There  is  one  that  many  would 
pronounce  equal  to  the  Green  Gage  in  flavor,  and  the  fruit  will  ripen  in  succession 
for  several  weeks,  and  still  I  cannot  find  this  tree  in  any  of  the  nurseries  I  visit.  I 
allude  to  the  Mellen  Gage,  a  native  of  Hudson,  N.  Y.  I  could  name  thirty  other 
varieties  of  great  excellence,  either  for  flavor  and  size  of  fruit  or  for  bearing  qualities. 

Aug.  23. — Have  tried  Mfr  P.'s  Plum  trees  again  for  the  Curculio  and  found 
none,  either  old  or  young ;  but  how  the  rotten  plums  did  come  down !  Several  of 
these  trees  were  the  Flushing  Gage,  and  had  been  very  full.  What  bushels  and 
bushels  this  gentleman  would  have  had  with  proper  care ! 

Sept.   i. — Mr.    P.   told   me   that  he   had   gathered  his  plums  to-day,     "Had 


98  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

thirty  in  all  instead  of  thirty  bushels."  The  ground  under  the  trees  presents  a  sad 
appearance.  I  have  seen,  where  over-ripe  persimmons  have  fallen  from  the  trees  in 
winter,  the  ground  covered  with  a  yellow  mash.  The  ground  under  the  Plum  trees 
presented  a  somewhat  similar  appearance.  Many  were  still  on  the  trees,  looking  like 
those  in  the  Frontispiece,  Fig.  5. 

Sept.  10.  —  NEW  VERNON,  MORRIS  Co.,  N.  J.  —  Here  are  Peach  orchards  cele- 
brated for  the  excellence  of  the  fruit,  and  especially  for  its  beauty  of  color.  The  best 
trees  as  well  as  the  best  fruit  grow  where  the  soil  is  strongly  marked  with  the  presence 
of  iron.  The  owners  of  the  principal  orchards  here  were  from  Monmouth  Co.,  N.  J. 
They  understood  the  cultivation  of  the  Peach  thoroughly,  and  were  making  the 
business  profitable.  They  told  me  that  they  considered  the  Yellows  a  good  thing; 
without  it  peaches  would  be  so  plentiful  as  not  to  pay  ;  as  it  is,  good  cultivators  can 
make  money.  The  Curculio  they  found  troublesome  in  thin  crops,  but  it  does  good 
to  heavy  ones.  These  men  might  be  called  Peach  Philosophers  ;  they  seemed  to  be 
satisfied  with  everything  excepting  only  the  war  ;  that  preventing  them  from  getting 
Peach  pits  from  a  part  of  Virginia  where  the  trees  are  still  free  from  the  Yellows. 
The  favorite  peaches  here  were  Jaques  or  Yellow  Rare  Ripe,  Mountain  Rose, 
Stump  the  World,  Crawford's  Early  and  Crawford's  Late,  and  Keyport  White. 


•  13-15-  —  United  States  Pomological  Convention  at  Rochester.  —  I  shall  long 
remember  this  meeting  with  pleasure.  The  characters  of  men  devoted  to  Pomology 
are  probably  influenced  by  the  pursuit.  The  intellectual  man  is  moulded  into  shape 
by  the  beauties  of  nature,  and  he  becomes  intelligent  and  good.  A  very  small  per- 
centage of  the  whole  people  of  this  country  are  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
but  a  very  large  percentage  of  the  members  of  this  Convention  were  of  that  deno- 
mination. 

Dec.  5.  —  I  find  no  notes  in  my  diary  about  the  Curculio  for  nearly  three 
months.  I  see  its  marks  on  the  apples  every  day.  No  matter  where  I  go  or  where 
the  apples  have  come  from,  there  the  Curculio  has  been.  The  signs  of  its  former 
presence  on  many  of  these  are  generally  in  the  form  of  a  little  shield,  as  seen  in  Plate 
5,  Figure  i,  a  mere  discoloration,  without  causing  any  injury  —  not  even  a  deformity. 
In  many  the  mark  will  be  little  more  than  a  slight  depression.  In  some  there  will  be 
several  of  these,  and  the  apple  will  be  much  injured  both  externally  and  internally, 
as  in  Plate  5,  Figure  3.  All  this  may  be  seen  in  the  fruit  that  comes  to  the  markets  ; 
but  go  to  the  orchards  or  cider  mills,  and  it  is  ten  times  worse.  With  all  this, 


THE     CURCULIO.  99 

becoming  worse  every  year,  many  people,  when  told  that  they  must  promptly  destroy 
the  falling  fruit,  will  say,  "  That  is  too  much  trouble.  I  cannot  have  the  cattle  or  hogs 
in  my  orchards,  I  want  to  plough  them  or  mow  them."  Or,  "  If  I  should  do  this,  my 
neighbors  will  not,  and  what's  the  use  ?"  Well,  go  on  then  "  in  your  old  shiftless 
way,"  and  those  who  do  take  the  proper  care  will  have  the  greater  profits. 

I  expected  to  have  had  a  colony  of  Curculios  for  investigation  this  winter.  I 
had  prepared  a  frame  covered  with  wire  gauze  in  the  shape  of  an  old-fashioned  wire 
trap,  about  two  feet  in  diameter.  This  was  to  be  placed  on  the  ground  under  an 
Apple  tree,  and  the  Curculios  from  a  bushel  of  apples  to  be  kept  under  it ;  but  the 
bushel  of  apples  produced  but  eight  instead  of  a  thousand,  as  I  expected.  The  eight 
I  found  dead  when  I  returned  from  one  of  my  trips,  and  it  was  too  late  then  to  repeat 
the  experiment  this  year. 

Whether  the  Curculio,  after  undergoing  its  transformation  in  the  ground  as  it 
always  does,  and  then  coming  to  the  surface,  ever  goes  back  again  as  winter 
approaches,  I  do  not  know.  Once,  in  repairing  the  roof  of  a  house  late  in  the  fall,  I 
observed  some  of  these  insects  in  a  torpid  condition  under  the  shingles.  I  have  met 
them  in  the  chinks  of  stone  walls,  and  once  I  found  one  under  a  scale  of  bark  of  an 
apple  tree  near  the  ground  early  in  the  spring. 

A  favorite  practice  of  the  writer  for  years,  has  been  searching  under  the  rough 
bark  of  different  kinds  of  trees,  to  see  what  species  of  insects  find  shelter  there,  and 
what  condition  they  are  in  during  different  degrees  of  temperature.  Lady-bugs, 
asparagus  beetles,  spiders,  flies,  great  varieties  of  beetles,  and  ants  are  there,  but  I  have 
not  found  the  Curculio  except  in  the  one  instance.  -Peter  B.  Mead,  Mr.  C.  Marie, 
and  I,  have  kept  them  in  green-houses  in  the  winter,  and  found  they  will  feed  on  green 
leaves  and  fruits  when  warm,  and  the  sexes  will  sometimes  be  together ;  but  when 
colder,  all  become  quiet  and  seem  torpid,  though  a  momentary  warming,  as  under  the 
thumb  in  the  palm  of  the  hand,  awakes  them  into  activity  at  once. 

Many  believe  that  the  Curculio  lives  through  the  winter  in  the  immature  condi- 
tion of  the  grub,  and  undergoes  its  transformation  in  the  spring.  This  is  not  so.  In 
all  my  numerous  experiments  made  year  after  year,  even  with  the  latest  stung  apples, 
the  grubs  become  beetles  the  same  season,  and  as  beetles  they  live  somewhere 
through  the  winter.  When  the  warm  weather  of  the  next  spring  is  fairly  established, 
and  before  the  young  fruits  are  formed,  a  few  Curculios  can  occasionally  be  found  by 
jarring  almost  any  kind  of  tree  over  canvas,  provided  that  tree  is  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  where  fruit  grew  the  year  before. 

1 2. — In  a  conversation  to-day  with  Mr.  Marie,  about  the  Curculio,    he 

13 


1OO  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

told  me  that  he  had  kept  some  as  pets  until  late  in  November,  feeding  them 
with  pieces  of  apples.  Finally  they  were  thrown  out  accidentally,  and  swept  into 
the  fire.  I  have  often  kept  them  in  the  flower-pots  in  which  they  have  undergone 
their  transformation,  by  covering  them  with  milliner..  Some  try  to  escape  through 
this  covering,  but  most  of  them  will  be  found  curled  up  and  torpid,  lying  among  the 
little  clods  of  earth.  During  the  warm  weather  of  early  fall  they  will  nibble  a 
little  at  fruit  or  leaves,  but  as  the  cold  weather  approaches  they  become  quite  torpid. 

Mr.  Marie's  experience  has  been  like  my  own,  as  to  the  great  tenacity  of  life  of 
this  insect.  He  has  experimented  with  many  things,  with  reference  to  finding  some- 
thing that  might  be  made  available  towards  its  control.  He  told  me  to-day  that  he 
had  tried  them  in  the  strongest  mustard,  all  kinds  of  pepper — even  the  hottest 
cayenne,  French  vinegar,  and  chloride  of  lime.  They  not  only  survive  all  these, 
but  soon  appear  as  lively  as  ever.  Tobacco  smoke,  puffed  upon  them,  if  long  con- 
tinued, will  kill  them.  Oil  is  fatal  to  them,  as  it  is  to  all  insects. 

The  following  short  communication  appeared  in  Moore's  Rural  New  Torkcr,  of 
Jan.  28th,  1 865  : — 

"  How  to  Catch  Curculios. — Eds.  Rural  New  Yorker :  In  May  last  we  had  occasion  to  use  some 
lumber.  It  was  laid  down  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Plum  yard,  and  on  taking  up  a  piece  of  it  one  cold  morn- 
ing, we  discovered  a  number  of  Curculios  huddled  together  on  the  under  side.  On  examining  other  boards 
we  found  more,  so  we  spread  it  out  to  sec  if  we  could  catch  more,  and  we  continued  to  find  more  or  less 
every  day,  for  two  weeks.  We  caught  in  all  one  hundred  and  sixty-one.  So  I  think  if  people  would  take  a 
little  pains  they  might  destroy  a  great  many  such  pests.  These  were  caught  before  the  plum  trees  were  in 
flower.  What  is  most  singular  is,  that  we  never  found  a  Curculio  on  a  piece  of  old  lumber,  although  we 
put  several  pieces  down  to  try  them.  They  seemed  to  come  out  of  the  ground,  as  we  could  find  them 
several  times  a  day  by  turning  over  the  boards, 

"  JohnsonvilU,  N.  Y.,  1865.  MRS.  H.  WIER." 

Upon  which  the  Editors  remark  :-r- 

"  These  facts  are  interesting.  Observers  do  not  agree  as  to  whether  the  Curculio  remains  in  the 
ground  during  the  winter  or  not.  Some  assert  that  it  lives  above  ground  somewhere  in  its  perfect  state  or 
form.  Any  facts  relating  to  the  settlement  of  this  question  will  be  interesting." 

The  above  struck  me  as  containing  important  facts,  provided  the  insects  found 
were  really  the  Curculio,  and  I  at  once  wrote  to  this  lady  to  send  me  some  specimens, 
if  she  had  kept  any.  In  a  few  days  I  received  an  answer,  stating  that  they  had 
killed  them  all  at  the  time,  but  would  certainly  try  the  experiment  in  the  spring 
again,  and  send  some  then.  She  stated  that  she  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the  Cur- 
culio, from  having  so  often  seen  it  at  work  on  the  Plums,  and  she  had  no  doubt  that 


THE    CURCULIO.  1O1 

those  found  collected  in  clusters  under  the  boards  were  the  same.  I  immediately 
wrote  again,  inclosing  a  few  dry  specimens  in  a  quill,  and  a  part  of  Plate  8  of  this 
book.  The  following  is  her  answer : — 

"  JOHNSONVILLE,  March    \,    1865. 

"  Yours  of  the  2/th  was  received  last  night,  and  I  hasten  to  reply.  The  Curculios  you  send,  we  con- 
sider identical  with  those  we  caught  under  the  boards ;  although  dry  and  contracted  we  can  see  how  they 
ought  to  look.  The  one  in  the  drawing  looks  very  natural,  but  they  do  not  always  wait  till  the  fruit  is  so 
large  here,  before  they  begin  the  work  of  destruction. 

"  I  will  keep  these  specimens  and  the  drawing  for  further  comparison. 

"  MRS.  HENRY  WIER, 
"  Johnsonville  P.  O.,  Pittstown, 

"Rensselaer  County,  New  York." 

• 

Mrs.  W.  states  in  one  of  her  letters  that  she  has  no  record  of  the  time  when 
these  insects  were  found,  but  that  the  trellises  for  the  grape  vines  were  put  up  on  the 
12th  of  May,  and  that  these  boards  had  been  drawn  for  that  purpose  and  laid  under 
a  plum  tree  near  by,  a  few  days  before.  If  the  printers  now  at  work  setting  the 
types  of  this  volume  would  wait  patiently  another  month,  I  think  this  question  of  the 
winter  condition  of  the  Curculio  could  be  ascertained  ;  but  as  this  cannot  be  done,  I 
will  here  indulge  for  once  in  a  theory — a  speculation :  That  this  insect  remains 
through  the  fall,  winter,  and  early  spring,  very  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  in  the 
little  cracks  or  fissures  where  bare,  and  about  the  roots  of  the  grass  where  in  sod.  If 
this  should  prove  true,  it  may  lead  to  some  new  modes  of  treatment ;  though  I  can- 
not imagine  at  present  anything  that  would  supersede  the  plan  of  thoroughly  destroy- 
ing all  the  young  fruit  containing  the  embryo  insect. 

Poultry  have  been  proved  to  be  useful.  If  these  little  beetles  lie  at  all  in  sight 
of  their  sharp  eyes  during  the  winter,  keep  them  as  much  as  possible  among  the  fruit 
trees,  provided  the  crop  had  been  troubled  with  the  Curculio  the  season  before. 
There  is  much  weather  of  every  winter  when  the  ground  is  bare  of  snow  that  the 
poultry  will  be  found  searching  the  fields  and  meadows  for  insects.  If  the  Curculio  is 
within  reach,  let  the  sharp  eyes  of  the  poultry  have  a  chance. 

In  February  a  year  ago  my  friend  John  T.  Hicks,  of  Westbury,  Long  Island, 
N.  Y.,  showed  me  a  box  containing  the  contents  of  the  stomach  of  a  crow  that  had 
been  shot  a  few  days  before.  The  box  contained  a  few  beetles,  and  about  fifty  grass- 
hoppers. Some  of  these  were  of  the  variety  so  plentiful  late  in  the  fall,  but  the  greater 
part  were  of  that  kind  that  we  find  in  the  spring  about  half  grown,  and  not  yet  hav- 
ing their  wings  matured — such  as  are  at  full  size  in  July.  Many  do  not  know  that 
grasshoppers  live  through  the  winter ;  many  do  not  know  that  crows  eat  insects.  The 


102  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

farmers,  when  they  see  flocks  of  crows  ransacking  their  fields  and  meadows,  instead 
of  offering  bounties  for  their  destruction,  should  be  thankful  that  there  is  something 
to  keep  the  grasshoppers  and  other  insects  in  check. 

In  April  last  I  dissected  a  Meadow  Lark.  I  found  its  stomach  filled  with  the 
rings  or  sections  of  what  are  often  called  thousand-legged  worms — lules.  These 
insects  are  found  about  the  roots  of  grass  a  little  under  the  surface.  The  beak  of  the 
Lark  is  long,  strong,  and  tapering  to  a  very  sharp  point.  The  beak  of  this  one  was 
coated  with  earth. 

In  July  I  shot  another.  It  had  been  feeding  on  beetles  and  other  insects  com- 
monly found  on  the  ground  in  pastures.  In  December,  when  the  ground  had  been 
covered  with  snow  for  several  days,  a  Lark  was  opened.  It  had  been  feeding  on 
seeds,  chiefly  oats  and  wheat.  Crows  shot  at  this  time  were  found  to  contain  black 
marsh  mud,  with  here  and  there  the  off-shoots  of  bulbous  roots. 

The  winter  birds  as  well  as  the  poultry,  except  when  the  ground  is  covered  with 
snow,  will  help  us  in  the  destruction  of  our  insect  enemies.  The  Grasshoppers  in  the 
stomach  of  the  Crow,  and  the  lules  found  in  the  Lark,  show  that  they  have  a  faculty 
of  detecting  the  hiding-places  of  these  insects  in  their  torpid  condition,  or  a  sense  of 
sight  wonderfully  acute.  It  is  a  recognised  fact  that  the  Crow  knows  from  the 
wilted  appearance  of  certain  plants  where  to  find  the  destroying  grub  at  the  root. 
Could  we  know  exactly  what  the  stomachs  of  a  party  of  hens  contain  after  a  foraging 
expedition  to  an  orchard,  we  should  probably  re-arrange  our  figures  giving  the  profit 
and  loss  account  of  Poultry. 

"  Protection  against  the  Curculio. — It  has  frequently  been  remarked  that  fowls  were  more  or  less  a 
protection  against  the  Curculio.  A  striking  example  of  this  has  been  shown  the  present  reason  in  the  grounds 
of  Wm.  H.  Southwick,  New  Baltimore,  N.  Y.  He  has  many  very  handsome  Plum  trees,  of  good  size,  healthy, 
and  vigorous.  Several  of  these  trees  of  different  kinds  are  inclosed  in  yards  where  fowls  are  kept — separate 
inclosures  being  necessary  for  the  different  breeds  which  are  here  bred.  The  trees  in  the  fowl-yards  are 
loaded  with  plums,  while  on  the  trees  not  so  inclosed  almost  all  the  fruit  has  been  lost  by  the  sting  of  the 
Curculio." — Cultivator,  Sept.  1861. 
1 

NOTE. — On  page  49  of  this  volume,  on  the  next  line  to  the  bottom,  the  word  "peach"  is  printed  instead 
of  "pear."  Thi»  is  an  error  of  so  much  importance  as  to  require  an  explicit  correction. 

The  young  Pear  crop  will  be  much  benefited  by  jarring  off  the  Curculio  for  a  few  days.  After  this 
the  Pears  will  be  deserted  for  other  fruits ;  but  if  the  Peach  crop  is  to  be  protected  from  the  Curculio 
the  jarring  should  be  continued  as  with  Plums  or  Apricots. 


IM.ATK  IX. 


APPLE    MOTH— CODLING    MOTH. 

COMMONLY  CALLED  APPLE  WORM. 


PLATE    IX. 

1.  The  Larva  or  Caterpillar  of  the  Apple  Moth  resting  on  a  part  of  the  Core  of  an  Apple. 

2.  Pear,  July  6,  showing  the  Borings  of  the  Apple  Worm. 

3.  Pear,  July  1 8.     The  dark  spots  near  the  blossom  end  indicate  the  worm  at  work  under  them.     There  is 

usually  a  depression  at  this  part. 

4  and  5.  A  very  common  appearance  of  the  early  Summer  Apples  from  the  operations  of  the  Apple  Worm 
during  the  month  of  July.  The  Worm,  Fig.  I,  was  taken  from  the  Apple,  Fig.  4,  and  is  not  quite 
full  grown. 

6.  Is  the  half  of  a  Westfield  Seek-no-further,  cut  open  March  1 7,  and  is  an  exact  representation  of  the  original. 

This  shows  that  even  such  injuries  will  not  always  prevent  the  fruit  from  keeping  through  the 
winter. 

7.  The  Moth  at  rest,  natural  size. 

8.  The  Moth  with  the  wings  expanded.     These  were  painted  from  living  specimens  on  the  i8th  of  June. 

MORRIS  calls  this  moth  Penthina  pomonella  (Carpocapsa).  Emmons,  Carpocapsa 
pomonella.  Say  does  not  mention  it  in  his  works.  Harris  says,  "  it  is  not  a  grub  but 
a  true  caterpillar,  belonging  to  the  Tbr/ra  tribe,  and  in  due  time  is  changed  to  a  moth 
called  Carpocapsa  fomonella,  the  Codling  Moth,  or  Fruit  Moth  of  the  Apple."  Kirby 
and  Spence  speak  of  it  as  one  of  the  enemies  of  the  Apple  in  England.  Reaumur  gives 
its  history,  and  says,  "  It  is  a  species  of  moth  common  in  Europe  (Carpocapsa  pomonella), 
the  caterpillar  of  which  feeds  in  the  centre  of  our  apples,  thus  occasioning  them  to 
fall."  An  anonymous  writer  in  the  Entomological  Magazine  of  London  has  well 
remarked,  "  that  this  Moth  is  the  most  beautiful  of  the  beautiful  tribe  to  which  it 
belongs ;  yet,  from  its  habits  not  being  known,  it  is  seldom  seen  in  the  moth  state ; 
and  the  apple-grower  knows  no  more  than  the  man  in  the  moon  to  what  cause  he  is 
indebted  for  the  basketfuls  of  worm-eaten  windfalls  in  the  stillest  weather." 


1O4  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

In  a  very  careful  examination  of  large  collections  of  pears  and  apples  sent 
from  France  to  the  exhibitions  of  the  American  Institute,  I  have  found  the  marks 
of  the  Apple  Moth  in  some,  but  in  no  instance  have  I  seen  the  crescent  mark  of 
the  Curculio. 

As  the  result  of  experience,  founded  upon  close  observations  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  extended  through  large  sections  of  several  states  during  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1864,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  Apple  Worm,  as  it  is  generally 
called,  is  as  destructive  to  apples,  pears,  and  quinces  as  the  Curculio,  but  not  so  to 
the  stone  fruits.  When  we  shall  have  subdued  the  latter  we  shall  have  cherries, 
plums,  peaches,  apricots,  and  nectarines,  without  much  further  trouble  from  insect 
enemies ;  but  we  must  control  both  the  Curculio  and  Apple  Moth  before  we  can 
secure  the  apples,  pears,  and  quinces. 

Although  the  Apple  Moth  is  an  imported  insect,  it  seems  to  have  become  as 
widely  extended  as  the  native  Curculio.  When  we  see  a  butterfly  fluttering  about 
our  fields  or  gardens,  and  know  that  it  lives  a  very  few  days,  we  would  think  that  any 
one  species,  starting  from  a  given  point,  would  be  very  slow  in  spreading  over  a 
continent  What  is  Jhc  rate  of  speed  of  a  butterfly,  or  the  length  of  time  it  can 
continue  its  flight,  I  have  never  seen  estimated.  Most  kinds  are  visible  for  a  moment, 
and  then  out  of  sight.  Probably  no  calculation  has  ever  been  made  that  would 
approximate  the  truth.  Kirby  speaks  of  the  male  of  one  of  the  Silk  Moths  (Attacus 
papkia),  as  supposed  to  be  capable  of  a  flight  of  one  hundred  miles.  A  dragon-fly 
will  hover  for  hours  on  the  wing  over  a  pond  of  water,  passing  rapidly  to  and  fro  in 
pursuit  of  insects.  One  species  of  this  tribe  has  been  known  to  alight  on  ships  500 
miles  from  the  nearest  shore.  But  insects  of  this  order  greatly  excel  the  butterflies  in 
wing  power ;  they  have  the  speed  of  the  fleetest  birds,  and  more  than  their  quickness 
in  turning.  If  we  know  little  of  the  travelling  power  of  the  butterfly  whose  flight  is 
by  daylight,  how  much  more  difficult  will  it  be  to  observe  the  flight  of  moths,  which 
only  takes  place  at  night 

The  caterpillars  of  both  butterflies  and  moths  are  nearly  all  vegetable  feeders. 
Many  species  feed  on  one  kind  of  plants,  as  the.  silk-worm  on  the  mulberry;  some 
on  two  or  three,  as  the  tent  caterpillar,  which  will  grow  to  maturity  on  the  apple 
and  wild  cherry,  but  will  starve  on  the  pear.  Other  caterpillars  will  feed  indiscrimi- 
nately on  the  leaves  of  many  trees  or  plants,  provided  these  leaves  come  early  enough. 


THE    APPLE    MOTH. 

The  larva  of  the  Apple  Moth,  like  the  grub  of  the  Curculio,  has  usually  a  fruit 
to  itself,  the  parent  moth  depositing  but  one  egg  on  a  fruit,  and  it  is  supposed  that 
another  Apple  Moth  will  seldom  duplicate  that  egg. 

The  first  part  of  the  life  of  this  caterpillar  is  usually  passed  in  feeding  on  the 
substance  of  the  fruit  near  the  blossom  end,  and  while  there  it  is  quite  small. 
Afterwards  it  will  be  found  in  and  around  the  core.  The  holes  drilled  through  the 
pulp  are  tunnels  for  passage  only,  not  excavations  made  in  feeding — the  contents 
being  a  mere  pomace,  and  not  the  castings  of  the  insect.  This  indicates  that  the 
chief  food  this  caterpillar  requires  is  to  be  found  in  the  core,  including  the  seeds,  and 
is  in  limited  supply ;  hence  we  seldom  meet  more  than  one  in  each  fruit.  If  the 
whole  pulp  of  the  fruit  were  suitable  for  food,  most  of  our  apples  and  pears  would 
afford  ample  nourishment  for  a  dozen  of  these  worms. 

The  Apple  Moth,  like  most  other  moths  and  butterflies,  has  a  great  number  of 
eggs  to  dispose  of.  She  will  have  the  appropriate  nidus  for  her  young  if  she  can 
find  it ;  and  how  far  she  will  go  in  pursuit  of  Apples,  Pears,  or  Quinces,  if  there 
should  be  none  near  her  native  tree,  or  if  they  have  all  been  appropriated  by  others, 
before  she  was  ready,  is  a  difficult  question  to  decide.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
subjects  of  contemplation  to  the  naturalist  is  to  watch  the  movements  of  moths  in 
the  dusk  of  summer  evenings.  They  will  slow  up  to  a  plant  or  tree,  as  a  steamboat 
to  a  landing — merely  touching,  then  on  again  to  another,  and  again  and  again,  till 
they  find  what  they  want,  deciding,  as  they  go,  whether  the  leaves  that  come  upon 
those  trees  after  an  intervening  winter  will  be  the  proper  food,  or  will  appear  early 
enough  for  the  little  ones  that  are  to  issue  from  their  eggs. 

Kirby  and  Spence  say  that  the  progress  of  the  Hessian  Fly  was  at  the  rate  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  a  year.  Dr.  Fitch,  in  his  most  valuable  account  of  the  Wheat 
Midge,  says,  that  the  spread  of  this  insect  along  the  country  bordering  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  Lake  Ontario,  was  at  the  rate  of  about  nine  miles  a  year.  But  the  history 
of  the  appearance  of  these  two  insects,  like  that  of  the  Apple  Moth,  in  the  different 
parts  of  the  country  which  they  have  visited,  shows  that  they  had  no  fixed  rate  of 
progress.  Speculations  as  to  where  an  insect  came  from,  or  when  it  arrived,  or  at 
what  rate  it  can  travel,  will  avail  but  little  as  to  this  Apple  Moth  pest.  //  is  kere, 
it  is  all  over  our  country,  wherever  Apples  and  Pears  are  cultivated,  in  many  places 
appropriating  half  these  crops  every  year,  and  it  is  rapidly  increasing.  While  the 


1O6  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

two  wheat  enemies  have  been  subdued  in  a  great  measure  by  parasites,  nothing  of 
the  kind  has  made  much  impression  on  the  Apple  Moth ;  and  from  its  habits  of  life 
we  have  little  reason  to  hope  for  relief  in  that  direction.  We  must  help  ourselves, 
and  the  sooner  we  begin  the  better. 

Figure  i ,  Plate  9,  represents  the  larva  or  caterpillar  of  the  Apple  Moth  rest- 
ing on  a  portion  of  the  core  of  an  apple.  It  is  usually  five-eighths,  sometimes  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  is  about  one-eighth  in  thickness  or  diameter — 
nearly  double  the  size  of  the  grub  of  the  Curculio.  It  is  of  a  reddish  color,  often  a 
decided  pink.  This  worm  has  all  the  characteristics  of  a  caterpillar ;  six  true  legs  at 
the  head  end  of  the  body,  and  eight  prop  or  fleshy  legs.  The  head  is  sometimes 
dark-brown,  and  sometimes  glossy  black.  It  is  to  some  extent  a  silk-making  cater- 
pillar. Throw  it  off  suddenly  from  its  resting-place,  and  it  will  often  let  itself  down 
with  a  cord,  as  a  span-worm  does.  This  will  never  be  done  by  the  grub  of  a  beetle 
or  the  maggot  of  a  fly.  It  will  not  go  into  the  ground,  as  the  grub  of  the  Curculio 
does,  but  will  climb  up  the  body  of  a  neighboring  tree.  The  Pears,  Figures  2  and  3 
of  this  Plate,  are  the  Beurre  Clairgeau  ;  a  variety  that  often  suffers  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  this  enemy,  though  not  as  often  as  the  Bartlett,  or  some  of  the  small  early 
kinds.  The  borings  on  Figure  2  are  an  uncommon  appearance,  and  show  where  a 
well-grown  worm  has  made  an  entrance  from  the  outside.  The  borings  of  the  Apple 
Worm  are  nearly  always  found  in  the  shape  of  a  round  plug  of  the  pulp  of  the  fruit, 
forced  out  from  within  through  a  hole  about  the  size  of  one  made  by  a  small  gimlet. 
This  indicates  that  the  worm  or  caterpillar  has  come  to  its  growth,  and  will  soon  push 
out  this  plug  entirely,  and  then  escape.  Whether  this  worm  leaves  the  inside  of  the 
fruit  at  night  only,  has  been  a  subject  of  investigation  to  some  extent,  but  I  have  not 
evidence  enough  to  establish  the  point.  It  may  be  an  instinct  in  common  with  many 
other  insects,  to  leave  such  retreats  only  in  the  dark,  when  it  will  be  more  secure  from 
bird  enemies.  I  certainly  often  see  these  plugs  filling  up  the  holes  in  the  daytime, 
and  find  next  morning  that  they  have  been  pushed  out,  and  I  have  never  seen  one 
of  the  worms  escaping  during  the  day. 

The  appearance  in  Figure  3  is  a  very  common  one.  The  Moth  usually  deposits 
her  egg  at  the  blossom  end  of  the  young  fruit;  and  just  within  the  calyx  is  a  tender 
spot,  where  the  minute  larva  from  that  egg  finds  an  easy  entrance  to  the  interior.  In 
that  part  of  the  fruit  under  these  dark  spots  it  will  be  found  feeding  until  it  is  aquar- 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.        .  1OJ 

ter  or  one-third  grown,  making  quite  an  excavation.  This  part  ceases  to  grow  or 
expand,  and  there  will  soon  be  a  depression.  The  spots  indicate  that  the  worm  has 
approached  to  the  skin  itself  as  far  as  the  black  extends.  The  young  caterpillar  can 
be  taken  out  without  making  much  of  a  wound,  but  this  operation  seldom  saves  the 
fruit.  Soon  after  this  it  will  be  found  in  the  centre  or  core,  making  extensive  exca- 
vations, involving  the  seeds,  as  seen  in  Figures  4  and  6.  This  little  miner  often  shows 
much  ingenuity  in  keeping  its  apartment  in  order.  If  its  chips  and  castings  were  per- 
mitted to  lie  about  loose,  they  would  be  inconvenient,  and  in  windy  weather  annoy- 
ing. To  guard  against  this,  it  ties  them  all  up  together  with  silken  cords,  and  then 
secures  the  mass  to  a  part  of  the  establishment  most  out  of  the  way. 

Figures  4,  5,  and  6,  do  not  by  any  means  indicate  all  the  forms  of  injury  or 
deformity  caused  by  this  enemy.  Twenty  illustrations  could  be  made,  all  differing 
in  appearance,  but  each  having  some  characteristic,  proving  it  to  be  the  work  of  the 
larva  of  the  Apple  Moth.  The  seeds  of  both  apples  and  pears  will  often  be  found 

to  have  been  eaten  as  seen  in  Figure  6,  on  this  Plate. 

H 


PLATE  X 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  1CK) 


PLATE   X. 

i.    Is  the  under  side  of  a  scale  of  bark  taken  from  an  Apple  tree. 

a.  Larva  of  Apple  Moth  exposed  by  a  cocoon  being  opened  when  separating  the  bark  from  the  tree. 

b.  Represents  a  cocoon  entire,  and  the  larva  within. 

c.  Shows  a  portion  of  an  old  cocoon. 

d  and  e.  Show  where  the  cocoons  have  been  penetrated,  and  the  larvae  taken  out  by  the  Bird — Fig.  7. 
z.  Shows  the  outside  of  a  part  of  the  scale,  Fig.  i.     d  and  e  are  holes  corresponding  to  d  and  e  in  Fig.  i. 

3.  Represents  a  ring  formed  from  the  pellets  or  chips  taken  out  of  the  cavities,  and  tied  together  with 

silken  cords.     This  ring  usually  fills  up  the  space  between  the  scale  and   true  bark,  making  the 
cocoon  perfectly  tight,  and  to  some  extent  binds  the  scale  to  the  tree. 

4.  The  pupa  of  the  Apple  Moth. 

5.  The  pupa  case  after  the  Moth  has  escaped. 

6.  Holes  made  in  parallel  rows  by  the  Bird — Fig.  8.     This  kind  of  holes  gave  rise  to  the  name,  "Sap- 

sucker,"  applied  to  the  bird  supposed  to  make  them. 

9.   One  pit  and  the  half  of  another  found  in  the  stomach  of  the  Bird — Fig.  8. 
10.  The  head  of  the  Black  Cap  Titmouse,  or  Chick-a-dee. 

THIS  Plate  is  a  study  in  itself,  and  a  careful  consideration  of  it  will  show  the 
intimate  connexion  between  Ornithology  and  Entomology. 

Fig.  i  is  a  representation  of  the  inside  of  a  scale  of  bark  from  an  Apple  tree, 
and  Fig.  2  is  part  of  the  outside  of  the  same  scale. 

One  who  is  curious  to  ascertain  the  winter  homes  of  insects  will  find  many 
species  secreted  under  the  scales  of  the  bark  of  trees.  In  separating  these  scales 
of  Apple  or  Pear  trees  in  search  of  the  larvae  of  the  Apple  Moth,  he  will  find 
lady-bugs,  spiders,  flies,  collections  of  the  eggs  of  spiders  nicely  arranged  together  in 
nets  made  of  the  finest  materials,  many  kinds  of  small  beetles,  &c.  That  a  large 
number  of  the  Apple  worms  conceal  themselves  under  the  scales  of  the  bark  of  the 
trees  in  an  Apple  or  Pear  orchard  is  certain ;  but  where  they  go  when  the  trees  have 
none  of  this  rough  bark  is  not  so  clear.  They  do  not  form  their  cocoons  upon  the 
ground  or  in  the  grass.  Though  caterpillars,  they  are  totally  without  the  coating  of 
hairs  that  prevents  so  many  other  species  from  becoming  the  food  of  birds,  and 


1IO  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

would  be  most  tempting  morsels  for  both  birds  and  poultry.  Ants  also  would  be 
formidable  enemies  of  such  worms.  To  ascertain  how  iheir  instinct  of  self-preserva- 
tion would  manifest  itself,  I  have  often  collected  a  number,  and  placed  them  in  the 
vicinity  of  a  tree.  They  creep  about  at  random  for  a  little  while ;  but  if  not  too  far 
off,  most  of  them  will  soon  be  seen  going  in  the  direction  of  such  tree. 

In  the  spring  of  1860,  when  the  seventeen-year  locusts  were  coming  up  out  of  the 
ground,  I  often  tried  this  experiment  with  them,  and  uniformly  with  the  same  result. 
Put  them  down  anywhere  within  ten  feet  of  a  tree,  their  course  would  soon  be  directed 
towards  it ;  and  no  matter  how  often  they  fell  back  in  struggling  over  the  grass  and 
other  obstructions,  nothing  diverted  them  from  their  path.  Whether  they  could 
see  or  not  is  hard  to  say.  Until  within  a  few  minutes  they  had  never  been  in  daylight ; 
eyes  to  them,  in  all  their  seventeen  years'  experience  underground,  would  have  been 
as  useless  as  to  the  fishes  in  the  Mammoth  Cave.  How  long  the  apple-worm  cater- 
pillar will  creep  about — how  many  trees  it  will  ascend  and  descend  in  search  of  this 
place  of  concealment,  I  do  not  know ;  but  this  instinct  would  indicate  a  perseverance 
till  the  end  was  accomplished.  If  we  had  no  way  of  trapping  this  enemy  it  would 
teach  us  to  keep  our  trees  clear  of  all  rough  bark,  let  the  poultry  have  free  access  to 
the  orchards,  and  protect  the  birds,  a,  Fig.  i,  is  the  caterpillar  or  larva  of  the  Apple 
Moth  as  seen  in  one  half  of  its  cocoon.  It  has  been  thus  exposed  in  taking  off  this 
scale  from  the  tree.  Fig.  3  is  a  part  of  its  cocoon.  The  ring  is  formed  by  the  chips 
or  nibblings  that  it  makes  in  digging  out  the  little  cavities;  and  this  ring,  or  ridge, 
fills  up  the  space  between  the  scale  and  true  bark.  Both  saucer-shaped  cavities  are 
usually  lined  with  a  delicate  silken  cocoon.  The  part  of  this  cocoon  attached  to  the 
ring  is  shown  in  this  figure.  (It  must  be  remembered  that  this  ring  and  the  part  of  the 
cocoon  attached,  made  the  other  part  of  the  house  that  covered  snugly  this  now 
exposed  worm.)  These  Apple  Moth  larvae,  such  as  <z,  Fig.  i,  can  be  found  in  this 
stage  at  least  nine  months  of  the  year.  Those  that  come  out  of  the  later  apples  and 
pears  remain  as  caterpillars  through  the  fall  and  winter,  and  many  of  them  till  quite 
late  in  the  spring;  then,  during  two  or  three  weeks,  they  will  be  found  in  the  pupa 
or  chrysalis  state,  as  shown  at  Fig.  4.  Then  in  June  the  cases  will  often  be  seen,  as 
shown  at  Fig.  5,  the  moth  having  escaped.  In  taking  off  scales  of  bark  at  this  time, 
or  even  in  approaching  a  tree,  the  moth  will  often  flutter  away  almost  unperceived. 
It  is  so  nearly  the  color  of  the  bark  as  seldom  to  be  noticed  when  at  rest.  This  is 


THE    APPLE   MOTH.  Ill 

characteristic  of  many  moths;  though  not  Chameleon-like,  or  having  the  power  to 
adapt  themselves  in  color  to  the  object  on  which  they  rest  at  the  time,  they  are  so 
strikingly  like  the  bark  of  the  trees  on  which  we  find  them  as  nearly  always  to  escape 
our  notice.  This  insect  in  its  pupa  state,  like  many  others,  will  be  found  torpid 
and  apparently  helpless  in  its  cocoon ;  but  when  its  time  comes  to  escape  from  this 
mummy  condition  it  has  some  locomotive  power,  and  by  a  kind  of  wriggling  motion 
forces  itself  to  an  outside  opening.  This  is  a  necessity  to  the  perfecting  of  the  wings  ; 
they  could  not  be  expanded  in  so  confined  a  space.  The  silk-worm  moth  liberates 
herself  from  her  cocoon  by  burning  a  passage-way  with  an  acid.  The  dragon-fly,  in 
its  immature  condition,  is  a  kind  of  bug  and  lives  in  water;  when  about  to  become  a 
winged  insect  it  will  creep  up  a  rush  or  reed  until  out  of  water,  and  make  itself  fast  to 
this  reed  by  its  claws,  when  the  back  of  its  sub-marine  case  will  open,  and  the  perfect 
insect  emerges.  That  is  what  the  seventeen-year  locust  comes  out  of  the  ground  for. 
The  young  mosquito  floats  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  the  sub-marine  coat  splits 
open.  First  her  head,  then  her  body  emerges ;  finally,  she  will  be  seen  standing  straight 
up  in  her  former  skin  like  a  mast  in  a  canoe.  All  these  insects — and  many  more 
could  be  mentioned — assume  this  perpendicular  position  immediately  on  leaving  their 
pupa  cases.  If  watched,  the  little  wings  that  had  hitherto  been  compressed  into  the 
smallest  possible  space  will  now  be  seen  to  enlarge  gradually ;  there  will  be  an  occa- 
sional slight  flutter.  The  fluids  of  the  body  would  seem  to  be  settling  there — gravity 
aids  them — and  soon  they  will  be  expanded  to  their  utmost  limits.  Such  wings  as 

those  of  the  Apple  Moth  could  never  have  been  unfolded  in  the  cocoon  between 

• 

these  scales  of  bark.  She  does  not  resort  to  the  appliances  of  chemistry,  as  the  silk- 
worm does  in  the  use  of  acids ;  but  she  is  equally  philosophical,  and  appeals  to  the 
force  of  gravity. 

The  life  of  this  insect  as  a  moth  is  short.  If  she  came  to  this  last  and  perfect 
condition  early  in  the  season,  the  fruits  would  not  be  ready  for  her,  and  she  would 
die  before  fulfilling  her  mission.  Nature  makes  no  such  mistakes.  The  fruits  will 
be  ready  for  the  moths  when  the  moths  are  ready  for  the  fruits.  In  a  few  weeks  the 
caterpillar  or  worm  from  the  egg  of  this  moth  will  be  matured,  and  found  in  its 
cocoon  under  a  scale  of  bark,  appearing  as  a  moth  in  August;  living  as  a  caterpillar 
not  half  as  many  weeks  as  the  winter  caterpillar  did  months;  the  one  living  in  a  tem- 
perature far  below  zero,  and  frozen  solid  as  ice  ;  the  other  knowing  the  hottest  weather 


112  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

of  our  climate.  That  "  the  wind  is  tempered  to  the  shorn  lamb,"  is  an  expression 
often  used,  and  by  many  it  is  believed  to  be  scriptural.  The  winds  pay  very  little 
regard  to  insects,  but  insects  are  wonderfully  adapted  to  the  winds.  I,  Figure  i,  is  a 
representation  of  another  cocoon;  one  that  has  not  been  injured  in  taking  off  the 
sqale  of  bark,  and  the  larva  within  not  disturbed.  This  cocoon  is  of  an  unusual 
shape,  but  the  builder  was  evidently  crowded  by  neighbors,  and  had  to  be  guided 
by  circumstances,  c  shows  where  one  has  been  that  has  escaped  as  a  moth,  d  and  e 
in  Figure  i,  and  d  and  e  in  Figure  2,  indicate  holes  in  the  inside  and  outside  of 
the  same  scale  of  bark.  These  holes  have  been  made  directly  into  the  cocoons  of 
these  caterpillars,  and  those  cocoons  robbed  of  their  contents  by  the  bird,  Figure  7, 
the  Downy  Woodpecker.  The  holes  in  the  piece  of  bark,  Figure  6,  are  different- 
They  are  parallel,  and  have  not  been  made  in  a  dry  scale,  but  in  the  green  bark, 
where  no  insects  live.  Figure  8  is  the  bird  that  makes  these — the  Yellow-bel- 
lied Woodpecker.  Figure  10  is  the  Chick-a-dee,  an  occasional  feeder  on  the  Apple 
worm.  These  heads,  as  represented  in  the  colored  edition  of  this  work,  strikingly 
resemble  the  originals ;  but  the  ornithologist  will  notice  defects.  They  do  not  look 
as  the  same  birds  do  in  Wilson  or  Audubon.  The  positions  are  not  similar.  The 
plumage  also  differs,  but  that  may  be  owing  to  the  age  of  the  bird.  An  ornithologist 
chooses  his  specimens  from  birds  at  full  maturity,  and  at  a  season  of  the  year  when 
the  plumage  is  the  most  perfect.  These  were  shot  to  ascertain  what  their  stomachs 
contained;  and  as  two  of  them  were  proved  to  have  been  usefully  employed,  their 
likenesses  were  painted  to  commemorate  their  good  deeds,  and  not  to  exhibit  them 

* 

as  types  of  beauty.  Our  investigations  in  regard  to  the  insect  enemies  of  fruits 
would  be  only  partial,  if  no  attempts  were  made  to  ascertain  how  far  the  birds  are 
useful  to  us  in  controlling  them. 

We  can  approach  some  of  the  smaller  birds  so  closely  as  to  be  able  to  see 
what  they  eat.  A  field  glass  will  often  aid  us  in  such  investigations ;  but  this  source 
of  knowledge  is  not  always  reliable.  The  works  on  ornithology  give  us  some 
information  on  the  food  question.  Wilson,  Audubon,  and  others,  often  accompany 
their  figures  of  birds  with  illustrations  of  fruits,  berries,  and  insects,  intended  ro 
show  that  these  are  the  food  of  such  birds.  But  this  subject  is  not  a  primary  consi- 
deration in  any  of  these  works.  The  Ninth  Annual  Report  of  the  Massachusetts 
Board  of  Agriculture  contains  an  admirable  article  of  about  thirty  pages  on  the  use- 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  1  13 

fulness  of  birds,  by  Wilson  Flagg.  Of  the  many  contributions  to  the  history  of 
birds,  I  have  met  with  none  so  interesting  as  this.  Some  French  investigators  have 
made  elaborate  reports  within  a  few  years  on  this  subject ;  but  the  birds  of  Europe 
are  so  different  from  ours  that  such  reports  can  give  us  little  practical  information, 
unless  accompanied  with  illustrations,  and  especially  showing  the  form  of  the  beak 
of  each  species. 

To  make  such  a  work  as  this  complete,  requires  more  exact  and  positive 
knowledge  than  could  be  procured  from  any  of  these  sources ;  andv  I  have  killed  a 
very  large  number  of  birds  and  examined  the  contents  of  their  stomachs,  especially 
of  those  frequenting  orchards.  Most  of  these  examinations  have  been  made  with  a 
magnifying  glass,  and  many  with  the  microscope.  Some  species  I  have  shot  at  short 
intervals  during  the  season,  to  know  how  far  their  food  varied  at  different  times ;  and 
I  have  thus  ascertained  that  the  contents  of  the  stomach  at  any  one  time  are  not  an 
infallible  criterion  by  which  we  can  determine  the  usual  food  of  that  bird.  On  the 
fifth  of  May,  1864,  I  shot  seven  different  birds;  they  had  all  been  feeding  freely  on 
small  beetles,  and  some  of  them  on  nothing  else.  There  was  a  great  flight  of  these 
small  beetles  that  day;  the  atmosphere  was  teeming  with  them.  A  few  days  after  the 
air  was  filled  with  ephemera  flies,  and  the  same  species  of  birds  were  then  feeding 
upon  these. 

The  killing  of  so  many  birds  has  been  a  most  repugnant  task ;  but  I  have 
nerved  myself  to  it  in  the  cause  of  science.  I  felt  there  was  a  want  of  such  infor- 
mation, and  once  procured  it  could  not  be  wanted  again.  The  comparatively  few 
thus  sacrificed  would  become  martyrs  for  the  good  of  the  many.  Many  of  these 
investigations  have  been  of  surpassing  interest,  from  the  consciousness  that  such 
knowledge,  if  properly  disseminated,  would  create  a  public  sentiment  even  stronger 
than  law,  for  the  protection  of  the  birds. 

I  have  found  in  the  Baltimore  Oriole  the  remains  of  Curculios,  the  real  plum 
weevils.  The  Downy  Woodpecker  and  the  Chick-a-dee  eat  the  caterpillar  of  the 
Apple  Moth.  The  Oriole,  Wren,  and  Cat-bird  know  how  to  find  the  leaf-curling 
caterpillars  in  their  places  of  concealment,  and  thus  protect  our  orchard  and  garden 
trees  and  shrubbery  from  much  deformity.  The  Cedar  birds  come  in  flocks  for  the 
span-worms.  Even  the  Bob-o'-link  does  not  perch  himself  on  our  apple  trees  exclu- 
sively to  show  off  his  fine  feathers  or  charm  us  with  his  unpronounceable  music,  but 


INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

makes  a  meal  occasionally  upon  the  canker  worms.  The  beak  of  this  bird  is  much 
like  that  of  the  sparrow  or  canary,  and  formed  for  husking  seeds;  still  I  have  found 
his  stomach  filled  to  repletion  with  these  troublesome  caterpillars. 

The  season  of  1 864  will  be  memorable  as  the  year  of  Aphides,  or  plant  lice. 
The  first  crop  of  leaves  on  many  of  the  Apple  trees  was  so  alive  with  a  species  of 
these  pests  that  most  of  them  fell  off,  causing  also  a  profuse  shedding  of  the  young 
apples.  Warblers  of  many  kinds,  then  just  coming  on  from  the  south,  Creepers, 
Wrens,  and  even  Sparrows,  as  well  as  many  other  kinds  of  birds,  fed  upon  these  the 
livelong  day.  The  throats,  and  even  the  back  parts  of  the  beaks  of  some  of  them, 
would  be  found  lined  with  these  aphides,  many  of  them  still  alive,  and  their  stomachs 
containing  a  juice  that  would  leave  the  hands  colored  as  they  are  after  crushing 
these  insects.  The  creases  or  folds  of  the  stomachs  were  lined  with  what  appeared 
to  be  an  accumulation  of  the  hairs  of  caterpillars,  but  under  the  microscope  were 
found  to  be  the  legs  of  these  plant  lice — thousands  and  thousands  of  them. 

The  account  of  almost  every  insect  that  will  pass  under  review  in  the  progress 
of  this  work,  will  contain  a  monograph  of  some  bird  that  has  been  found  its  special 
enemy.  Some  will  be  shown  of  full  size,  and  in  positions  exceedingly  graceful, 
illustrating  surprising  intelligence  as  to  the  manner  of  finding  and  securing  their 
insect  food. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  DIARY  OF  1864. 

"  Picus  PUBESCENS — Dcwny  Woodpecker  ;  Sapsucker. — Sp.  Ch. — A  miniature  of  P. 
villosus. — Above  black,  with  a  white  band  down  the  back.  Two  white  stripes  on  the 
side  of  the  head  ;  the  lower  of  opposite  sides  always  separated  ;  the  upper  sometimes 
confluent  on  the  nape.  Two  stripes  of  black  on  the  side  of  the  head,  the  lower  not 
running  into  the  forehead.  Beneath  white ;  wing  much  spotted  with  white  ;  the 
larger  coverts  with  two  series  each ;  tertiaries  or  inner  secondaries  all  banded  with 
white.  Two  outer  tail  feathers  white,  with  two  bands  of  black  at  end ;  third  white 
at  tip  and  externally.  Length  about  6J  inches ;  wing  33.  Male  with  red,  terminating 
the  white  feathers  on  the  nape. 

**  Hob. — Eastern  United  States,  towards  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains." 

The  above  is  Baird's  description  of  the  Downy  Woodpecker  (the  head  of  which 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  11^ 

is  shown  in  Fig.  7  of  this  Plate),  and  has  been  selected  for  this  work  by  a  friend  who 
is  a  most  accomplished  ornithologist. 

The  bird  that  knows  how  to  find  this  formidable  enemy  of  the  fruit-grower,  and 
destroys  it  in  such  numbers,  is  an  object  of  special  interest,  and  a  scientific  account 
in  a  work  like  this  becomes  a  necessity,  that  it  may  be  positively  identified. 

DOWNY  WOODPECKER. — April  8. — In  shooting  a  Robin  to-day,  on  an  Apple  tree, 
I  started  one  of  these  little  birds.  It  flew  to  the  next  tree,  and  I  secured  it  with  the 
other  barrel.  This  was  the  first  of  this  species  of  bird  I  had  been  able  to  approach  in 
the  orchards  near  the  city.  The  stomach  contained  one  larva  of  an  Apple  Moth  so 
nearly  entire  as  to  be  easily  identified.  The  other  contents  of  the  stomach  were  the 
remains  of  small  beetles,  some  of  which  had  those  brilliant  metallic  hues  so  difficult 
to  describe  and  so  impossible  to  imitate  by  paint.  The  head  of  one  of  these,  under 
the  microscope,  equalled  in  lustre  the  diamond  beetle.  No  seeds  or  sand,  and  no 
signs  of  sap  or  the  sap  bark  of  the  Apple  tree  could  be  discovered. 

April  21. — In  a  ramble  to-day  on  the  borders  of  the  Passaic  River,  some  ten  or 
twelve  miles  from  Newark,  where  the  birds  are  more  plentiful  and  not  so  wild  as 
nearer  the  cities,  I  shot  another  of  these  Downy  Woodpeckers.  The  stomach  con- 
tained one  beetle,  the  heads  oft/ie  larva  of  two  Apple  Moths,  and  the  heads  of  the  grubs 
of  three  small  Borers.  The  bird,  when  first  seen,  was  pecking  or  sounding  an  old 
fence  post,  and  then  flew  to  an  Apple  tree.  There  was  an  orchard  of  some  twenty  or 
thirty  old  Apple  trees  here. 

May  3. — Shot  another  Downy  Woodpecker  to-day.  It  had  been  eating  several 
black  beetles,  and  three  grubs,  but  they  were  not  the  larvae  of  the  Apple  Moth. 

Aug.  5. — CROOKED  LAKE,  Tates  County,  New  Tork. — The  bird  that  knows  how  to 
find  the  Apple  Worm  under  the  scales  of  bark  on  the  trees,  has  been  here.  I  find 
the  unmistakable  mark — the  round  hole  in  the  scale  leading  directly  into  the  place 
where  the  worm  had  been  in  its  cocoon.  The  parallel  lines  of  holes  are  on  the  Apple 
trees  here  also. 

Nov.  6. — In  a  ramble  in  the  country  to-day  I  saw  a  couple  of  Downy  Wood- 
peckers. I  watched  them  for  some  time,  but  could  see  nothing  in  their  actions  to 
indicate  how  they  found  the  Apple  Worms  under  the  scales  of  bark. 

Nov.  10,  1 1,  and  12. — -During  an  excursion  in  the  upper  part  of  Morris  County, 

15 


Il6  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

N.  J.,  made  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  insects  and  birds,  I  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  seeing  a  Downy  Woodpecker  in  an  old  orchard,  and  passed  an  hour  watching 
his  actions.  His  creeping  power  is  wonderful.  (His  foot  should  have  been  repre- 
sented in  this  Plate,  to  show  how  perfectly  it  is  formed  for  the  purpose.)  I  was  espe- 
cially interested  to  see  with  what  speed  he  could  move  down  the  body  of  a  tree  back- 
wards. This  seemed  even  more  rapid  than  the  forward  motion. 

Here  I  was  gratified  in  being  able  to  ascertain  how  he  finds  where  to  peck 
through  the  scales  of  bark,  so  as  to  be  sure  to  hit  the  Apple  Worm  that  is  so  snugly 
concealed  beneath.  The  sense  of  smell  will  not  account  for  it.  Such  an  acute- 
ness  of  one  of  the  senses  would  be  beyond  the  imagination.  Instinct,  that  incompre- 
hensible something,  might  be  called  in  to  explain  to  those  who  are  satisfied  to  have 
wonders  accounted  for  by  means  that  are  in  fact  only  confessions  of  ignorance.  Birds 
have  instincts  undoubtedly — so  have  we ;  but  they  are  mixed  up  confusedly  with 
other  faculties.  Most  of  the  actions  of  insects  are  purely  instinctive  and  utterly 
unaccountable.  But  the  Apple  Moth  is  not  a  native  of  this  country — the  Downy 
Woodpecker  is.  The  bird  would  not  have  been  created  with  a  special  instinct  to 
find  the  larva  of  a  moth  that  did  not  exist  in  the  same  country.  Other  insects  live 
under  these  scales  of  rough  bark ;  but  in  very  numerous  examinations,  I  have  not  seen 
such  a  hole  made  except  when  leading  directly  into  the  cocoon  of  this  particular 
caterpillar. 

This  little  bird  finds  the  concealed  larvae  under  the  bark,  not  from  any  noise  the 
insect  makes ;  it  is  not  a  grub  of  a  beetle  having  a  boring  habit,  and  liable  to  make 
a  sound  that  might  betray  its  retreat,  in  seasons  of  the  year  when  not  torpid. 
A  caterpillar  makes  scarcely  an  appreciable  noise,  even  when  spinning  its  cocoon, 
and  when  that  is  finished  it  rests  as  quietly  within  as  an  Egyptian  mummy  in  its 
sarcophagus. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  the  Downy  Woodpecker  ever  makes  a  mistake ;  it 
has  some  way  of  judging.  The  Squirrel  does  not  waste  its  time  in  cracking  an 
empty  nut.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  this  bird  ever  makes  holes  through 
these  scales  merely  for  pastime,  or  for  any  other  purpose  except  for  food.  He 
knows  before  he  begins  that  if  he  works  through,  just  in  that  spot,  he  will  find  a 
dainty  morsel  at  the  bottom  of  it,  as  delicious  to  him  as  the  meat  of  the  nut  is  to  the 
squirrel.  But  how  does  he  know?  By  sounding — tap,  tap,  tap,  just  as  the  physician 
learns  the  condition  of  the  lungs  of  his  patient  by  what  he  calls  percussion.  The 
bird  uses  his  beak,  generally  three  times  in  quick  succession — sometimes  oftener; 
then  tries  another.  Watch  him.  See  how  ever  and  anon  he  will  stop  in  his  quick 
motions  up  and  down,  and  give  a  few  taps  upon  the  suspected  scale,  and  then  test 


THE    APPLE    MOIH.  11J 

another,  and  another,  until  the    right   sound  is   communicated  to  that  wonderful 
ear. 

Here  is  evidence  enough  of  the  usefulness  of  this  bird  to  entitle  it  to  exemption 
papers  for  ever.  Reader,  look  carefully  at  the  head,  as  represented  in  Fig.  7  of  this 
Plate.  Do  not  call  that  bird  "  Sapsucker."  That  name  will  create  a  prejudice  with 
some.  The  whole  tribe  of  Woodpeckers  labor  under  a  prejudice  in  some  neigh- 
borhoods. Some  will  eat  cherries,  and  some  are  supposed  to  be  fond  of  grapes.  But 
the  chief  food  of  all  of  them  is  insects,  and  many  of  those  insects  are  our  worst  ene- 
mies. It  will  be  well  to  let  all  the  Woodpeckers  have  their  own  way,  but  by  all 
means  protect  the  Downy. 

Fig.  8,  is  the  SPHYRAFRICUS  VARIUS  of  Baird ;  Picus  varius  of  Wilson,  Cassin, 
and  Audubon. 

YELLOW-BELLIED  WOODPECKER. — Sp.  Ch. — Fourth  quill,  longest ;  third,  a  little 
shorter  ;  first,  considerably  shorter.  General  color  above,  black,  much  variegated 
with  white.  Feathers  of  the  back  and  rump  brownish-white,  spotted  with  black. 
Crown,  scarlet,  bordered  by  black  on  the  sides  of  the  head  and  nape.  A  streak  from 
above  the  eye,  and  another  from  the  bristle  of  trie  bill,  passing  below  the  eye  and 
into  the  yellowish  of  the  belly,  and  a  stripe  along  the  edges  of  the  wing  coverts, 
white.  A  triangular  broad  patch  of  scarlet  on  the  chin,  bordered  on  each  side  by 
black  stripes  from  the  lower  mandibles,  which  meet  behind  and  extend  into  a  large 
quadrate  spot  on  the  breast ;  rest  of  under  part  yellowish-white,  streaked  on  the  sides 
with  black.  Inner  web  of  tail  feather  white,  spotted  with  black.  Outer  feathers 
black,  edged  and  spotted  with  white.  Length,  8.25  inches  :  wing  about  4.75 ;  tail, 
330.  Female  with  the  red  of  the  throat  replaced  by  white.  Young  male  without 
black  on  the  breast,  or  red  on  the  top  of  the  head. 

Hob. — Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  Green- 
land. 

Oct.  6. — Went  to  the  orchard  of  a  friend  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and  found  a 
Sapsucker  (or,  as  it  should  be  called,  a  Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker)  at  work  on  one 
of  the  Apple  trees.  It  had  made  almost  three  hundred  marks  (see  Plate  10,  Fig.  6). 
Some  were  new  and  others  old  ones  drilled  out.  This  was  in  the  forenoon.  I  watched 
it  about  half  an  hour.  I  returned  in  the  afternoon.  The  same  kind  of  bird  was 
on  the  same  Apple  tree,  and  busily  at  work  pecking  holes.  I  watched  for  about  an 
hour,  sometimes  approaching  so  near  that  it  would  fly  a  short  distance  and  watch  me 
closely  till  I  would  go  thirty  or  forty  yards  from  it,  when  it  would  at  once  return  and 


Il8  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT*. 

resume  the  pecking  work.  If  I  were  in  sight  it  would  keep  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  limb,  occasionally  peeping  round  cautiously  to  see  if  I  was  coming  nearer. 
Sometimes,  during  the  intervals  of  these  peeps,  I  would  quietly  approach  so  closely 
that  the  moment  it  saw  me  it  would  fly  away,  but  to  return  again  as  soon  as  I  had 
retired  to  a  proper  distance.  After  bo-peeping  till  I  had  no  more  time  to  spare,  I 
shot  this  poor  bird,  expecting  to  find  positive  evidence  in  the  stomach  of  what  it 
made  these  holes  for — and  found  two  seeds  or  pits  (of  which  one  and  half  the  other 
are  represented  by  Fig.  9,  Plate  10),  with  the  purple  skins  of  the  same  fruit,  seven  small 
ants,  and  one  insect  of  the  chinch  bug  kind  about  the  size  of  those  found  in  the  beds 
of  some  taverns.  But  of  bark  or  sap  there  was  not  even  a  trace. 

Later  in  the  day  I  shot  another  of  the  same  species  of  bird  in  an  old  orchard  out 
of  town.  The  stomach  of  this  one  contained  the  pulp  of  an  apple  and  one  ant- 
nothing  else.  This  one  was  on  the  upper  part  of  an  Apple  tree,  and  was  not  pecking 
or  sounding.  The  investigation  of  this  bird  so  far  is  Unsatisfactory.  I  have  seen  no 
evidence  yet  that  these  holes  are  made  in  search  of  food.  Ants  are  certainly  found 
sometimes  about  these  holes,  and  apparently  in  pursuit  of  the  sap  that  exudes  from 
them  ;  but  the  idea  suggested  by  some,  that  the  birds  make  them  to  attract  these  ants 
by  such  tempting  baits,  is  a  palpable  exaggeration  of  the  reasoning  power  of  this 
bird. 

From  what  I  have  seen  to-day,  as  well  as  from  former  observations,  and  from  the 
testimony  of  several  careful  observers  among  farmers  of  my  acquaintance,  I  am  led  to 
believe' that  Baird  is  mistaken  in  calling  the  preceding  bird — the  Downy  Wood- 
pecker— a  Sapsucker.  Wilson  evidently  believes  the  same  thing,  although  he  does 
not  say  so  in  express  words.  The  bird  that  makes  these  parallel  holes,  as  shown  at 
Fig.  6,  Plate  10,  has  a  bad  reputation,  and  I  am  anxious  to  relieve  my  little  friend 
that  finds  the  Apple  Worm,  from  all  charges  that  will  bring  him  into  trouble.  I  believe 
that  this  bird,  Fig.  8,  Plate  10,  is  the  only  one  that  makes  such  holes.  The  Downy 
Woodpecker,  Fig.  7,  Plate  10,  makes  many  holes  in  Apple  and  Pear  trees  also,  but 
not  in  this  regular  manner.  The  one  is  in  search  of  the  larvte  of  the  Apple  Moth 
under  the  dry  scales  of  the  bark ;  the  other  seeks — I  don't  know  what,  in  the  green  bark 
itself. 

These  parallel  rows  are  often  very  numerous.  The  trunks  and  larger  branches 
will  often  be  seen  covered  with  them.  The  rows  will  be  almost  adjoining  for  many 
feet,  and  the  holes  in  the  rows  as  near  each  other  as  represented  in  Fig.  6  in  this  Plate, 
and  running  all  round  the  tree.  In  old  orchards  where  trees  have  been  grafted  high 
up,  these  holes  may  be  sometimes  seen  in  the  stock  and  not  in  die  graft,  and  some- 
times in  the  graft  and  not  in  the  stock.  Rows  of  trees  of  one  kind  of  fruit  will  be 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  IK) 

filled  with  these  holes,  while  adjoining  rows  of  other  kinds  will  be  exempt.  So  far  as 
I  have  noticed,  these  holes  have  been  made  only  in  October.  Sometimes  they  will 
be  seen  in  Cherry  trees,  and  I  have  observed  those  trees  thoroughly  drilled.  Some 
Evergreens  are  so  pecked  in  this  way  as  to  bleed  the  next  season  to  an  injurious 
extent.  But  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  that  they  impair  either  the  growth  or 
the  fruit-bearing  power  of  the  Apple  tree. 

The  grub  of  the  Apple  Tree  Borer  works  between  the  bark  and  the  wood  during 
the  first  of  the  three  years  of  its  life,  but  it  is  always  either  under  or  so  near  the  surface 
of  the  ground  as  not  to  be  likely  to  be  found  by  the  Woodpeckers.  I  have  never 
seen  any  bird  in  pursuit  of  this  grub.  The  two  following  years  it  is  always  so  far 
within  the  wood  as  to  be  out  of  reach  of  the  birds.  I  know  no  other  grub  that  works 
under  the  bark  of  living  Apple  trees;  but  an  Apple  tree  in  decay  will  often  be  found 
teeming  with  grubs. 

Figure  10,  PARUS  ATRICAPILLUS — Linnaeus.  Black-cap  'Titmouse — Wilson. 
Chick-a-dee.  Sp.  Ch. — Second  quill  long  as  the  secondaries.  Tail  very  slightly  rounded; 
lateral  feathers  about  ten,  shorter  than  middle.  Back,  brownish  ashy.  Top  of  head 
and  throat  black,  sides  of  head  between  them,  white.  Beneath,  whitish ;  brownish 
white  on  the  sides.  Outer  tail-feathers,  some  primaries,  and  secondaries,  conspicuously 
margined  with  white.  Length,  j;  wing,  2.50;  tail,  2.50.  Hal. — Eastern  North 
America  along  the  Atlantic  border. 

March  7,  1864. — The  Chick-a-dees  are  flitting  about  upon  the  Apple  trees  in 
the  orchards  and  Maple  trees  in  the  swamps — chick-a-deeing  and  very  happy,  and 
why  not  ? — in  these  bright  warm  days  after  the  long  cold  winter.  This  is  one  of 
the  creepers — quick  in  all  its  motions. 

March  8. — Shot  a  Chick-a-dee  to-day,  but  the  contents  of  its  stomach  were  so 
comminuted  that  it  was  impossible,  without  the  aid  of  the  microscope,  to  distinguish 
anything  positively.  Some  portions  looked  like  parts  of  beetles,  and  others  seemed 
like  the  broken  shells  of  the  eggs  of  moths  and  butterflies.  Could  see  no  seeds. 

The  habits  of  these  minute  little  friends  are  delightful.  You  see  two,  three, 
four,  sometimes  more — in  an  Apple  tree,  climbing  up  pendent  twigs  and  examin- 
ing them  all  round,  apparently  in  search  of  the  eggs  or  minute  larvae  of  insects. 
Next  you  will  see  their  little  beaks  working  among  the  moss  on  the  older  branches. 
Then  they  will  be  pecking  at  something  like  a  beetle  in  a  crotch.  Next  there  will 
be  a  gentle  whistling  call,  and  all  will  be  off"  to  the  next  tree.  Often  other  birds, 
especially  sparrows,  will  be  seen  closely  following  these  restless  little  fellows,  as  if 


12O  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUlt. 

attracted  by  their  chick-a-dee  melody.  These  are  winter  birds ;  and  though  differing 
from  the  sparrows  in  being  insectivorous,  in  other  respects  they  are  so  much  alike  as 
to  be  fond  of  each  other's  company — though  it  appeared  to  me  that  the  sparrows 
were  more  partial  to  the  chick-a-dees  than  the  chick-a-dees  to  the  sparrows. 

March  28. — In  a  ramble  through  the  orchards  to-day  I  saw  but  one  of  these 
birds,  and  this  one  passed  so  rapidly  from  one  tree  to  another,  there  was  but  little 
opportunity  of  watching  its  habits  or  seeing  what  kind  of  food  it  was  in  pursuit  of. 
Its  song  has  changed  since  last  visit.  Then  it  was  chick-a-dee ;  now  it  is  chick-a- 
dee-dee-dee-dee-dee,  and  sometimes  dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. 

April  i. — Shot  one  to-day,  and,  what  is  of  great  importance,  found  five  of  the 
larva  of  the  Apple  Moth.  One  of  these  had  been  so  recently  taken,  and  was  so  little 
mutilated,  that  it  was  easily  identified.  The  heads  of  the  other  four  appeared  iden- 
tical when  examined  with  a  pocket-glass ;  but  when  subjected  to  the  test  of  the  micro- 
scope, there  was  no  possible  room  to  doubt.  The  day  has  been  dry  and  windy,  fol- 
lowing a  warm  wet  day  and  night ;  and  it  is  in  just  such  weather  that  the  bark  of  the 
Buttonwood,  Shell-bark  Hickory,  and  other  shaggy  trees,  will  be  found  curling  out 
and  falling  off. 

I  have  never  seen  anything  that  would  lead  me  to  believe  that  this  minute  bird 
makes  the  holes  in  the  scales  of  bark  that  lead  directly  to  the  cocoons  of  these  cater- 
pillars; they  are  made  by  the  Downy  Woodpecker,  and  probably  by  it  alone.  The 
Chick-a-dee  most  likely  finds  these  worms  only  or  chiefly  on  such  days  as  this,  when 
the  warping  of  these  scales  exposes  them  to  the  prying  eyes  of  these  busy  little 
friends.  This  bird  is  one  of  the  guardians  of  the  orchard  ;  quick,  active,  always  on 
the  alert ;  assuming  any  position  ;  sometimes  even  hanging  by  one  foot  on  the  under 
side  of  the  large  limbs,  where  these  caterpillars  rather  prefer  to  conceal  themselves ; 
and  now  proved  to  feed  freely  upon  the  second  in  importance  of  the  insect  enemies 
of  our  fruits.  Let  no  one  hereafter  kill  a  Chick-a-dee  without  being  made  to  feel 
that  he  has  done  a  most  disgraceful  deed. 

Nov.  6. — Have  been  making  a  short  trip  to  the  central  part  of  the  State.  See 
no  birds  now  except  crows,  doves,  quails,  sparrows,  and  the  creepers,  including  the 
Chick-a-dees.  The  last  are  very  numerous — almost  in  flocks.  They  are  quite  tame. 
I  have  been  much  amused  at  a  little  party  of  them  on  the  long,  slender  shoots  of 
some  swamp-willow  sprouts.  One  of  them  would  alight  on  the  extremity,  and  then 
the  twig  would  bend  until  the  bird  looked  as  if  it  were  holding  on  to  the  end  of  a  sus- 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  121 

pended  string ;  but  it  was  perfectly  at  home,  hardly  even  fluttering  to  maintain  its 
position,  and  there  it  remained  pecking  away  among  the  buds  at  the  extreme  end  of 
the  shoot,  apparently  in  pursuit  of  plant  lice  so  often  found  in  just  such  places.  We 
are  told  that  the  "  tender  mercies  of  the  wicked  are  cruel ;"  my  tender  mercies  over- 
came the  cruel  on  this  occasion ;  and  although  I  wanted  to  know  exactly  what  the 
bird  could  find  there  to  eat,  the  gun  would  not  point  in  that  direction. 

Nov.  i  5. — I  have  never  before  noticed  the  Chi'ck-a-dees  so  numerous  as  this  fall. 
Shot  one  to-day  ;  it  had  eaten  four  small  seeds,  almost^,  as  hard  as  gravel  stones,  and 
quite  a  number  of  the  pupse  of  very  small  beetles,  such  as  take  shelter  under  moss 
and  old  bark  on  trees. 

Jan.  i ,  1 865. — For  a  month  past  the  Chick-a-dees  could  be  seen  in  the  morn- 
ings on  the  Elm  trees  of  this  city — always  on  the  slender  twigs,  and  busily  searching 
round  the  buds.  The  weather  seems  to  make  no  difference.  The  gentle,  plaintive 
call  by  which  they  keep  in  company  could  be  heard  every  morning,  even  in  the  most 
pitiless  storms.  In  the  evenings  they  could  be  seen  congregating  about  the  evergreen 
trees. 

For  several  mornings  in  succession  I  noticed  that  the  piazza  was  strewn  with 
the  cocoons  and  broken  pupa  cases  of  the  caterpillars  that  were  so  numerous  in  Sep- 
tember ;  sweep  them  off,  and  soon  they  would  be  there  again.  It  was  the  work  of 
the  Chick-a-dees.  The  piazza  is  a  high  one,  and  extends  on  three  sides  of  the  house. 
Hundreds  of  caterpillars  formed  their  cocoons  in  the  chinks  and  crevices  of  the  ceil- 
ing, and  there  these  little  birds  found  them.  I  hung  out  pieces  of  fat  pork,  and  bread 
and  butter,  and  they  tasted  moderately ;  but  as  soon  as  the  pupse  of  these  caterpillars 
were  all  consumed,  my  kind  of  food  was  neglected. 

March  i . — I  have  seen  a  small  party  of  the  Chick-a-dees  on  the  Elm  trees  again 
to-day,  the  first  for  several  weeks.  They  were  examining  the  buds. 


I 'I.  AT  K1ff. 


• 

•     '  ,  •    ,      ' 

-»  r    «     r  •   •    ' 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  123 


PLATE  XI. 

1.  Represents  the  hay-rope  trap,  slipped  up  a  few  inches  above  where  it  had  been  set. 

2.  Shows  where  this  hay-rope  band  has  been  during  the  season.     The  marks  are  intended  to  represent  the 

slight  concavities  made  by  the  Apple  Worms  under  the  rope. 

THIS  Plate  represents  a  Tree  of  Fall  Apples,  as  it  appears  where  the  Curculio 
and  Apple  Moth  are  not  interfered  with,  but  are  permitted  to  have  things  their  own 
way. 

This  tree  is  intended  to  represent  the  one  so  often  spoken  of  in  the  following 
diary,  on  which  were  caught  nearly  two  hundred  of  these  Apple  Worms  during  the 
season  of  1864. 

These  bands  should  be  put  on  the  trees  as  soon  as  the  fruit  shows  signs  of  the 
worms  being  at  work,  as  seen  in  the  illustrations  in  Plate  Q ; — from  the  middle  to  the 
last  of  June.  They  should  be  examined  every  two  weeks,  as  long  as  warm  weather 
lasts,  the  earlier  broods  of  worms  becoming  moths,  and  producing  a  second  crop. 
If  the  orchard  is  pastured  the  bands  must  of  course  be  put  out  of  reach  of  the 
animals.  Sometimes  it  may  be  necessary  to  place  them  round  the  limbs ;  in  that  case 
the  scales  of  bark  on  the  bodies  of  trees  below  them  should  be  scraped  off. 

Those  who  watch  the  falling  of  the  blossoms  from  fruit  trees  will  notice  that  the 
greater  number  leave  no  embryo  fruits.  A  few  days  later  a  large  portion  of  the  young 
fruits  that  had  formed,  cease  to  grow,  and  they  soon  fall  off.  These  are  blights,  and 
this  is  nature's  mode  of  relieving  the  parent  of  the  burden  of  too  large  a  family. 
Occasionally  there  will  be  a  frost  just  as  the  petals  of  the  blossoms  have  fallen  off,  and 
the  germ  being  exposed  at  its  most  tender  age,  sometimes  the  whole  crop  will  perish. 

In  the  spring  of  1864,  when  the  Pear,  Peach,  Plum,  and  Cherry  trees  were  just 
shedding  their  blossoms,  there  came  several  days  of  very  warm  wet  weather,  with 
scarcely  any  wind ;  and  during  this  time  a  dense  fog  prevailed  for  many  hours.  The 
calyx  surrounding  the  embryo  fruit  was  now  like  a  sponge,  absorbing  the  rain,  and 

there  being  no  chance  to  dry  during  all  this  time,  the  fruit  germ  rotted.     By  sepa- 

16 


124  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

rating  the  wet  calyx  from  the  young  fruit  it  was  easy  to  see  the  commencement 
of  this  decay ;  it  was  generally  in  streaks.  On  the  Cherry  trees  the  effect  was  singu- 
lar. Wherever  the  young  cherries  came  in  contact  with  the  leaves  the  decay  was 
communicated  to  them,  and  they  were  left  with  holes,  presenting  a  ragged  appear- 
ance. Half  of  the  above  kinds  of  fruits  perished  in  that  way  ;  and  the  trees  of  some 
kinds  of  cherries,  where  the  bloom  had  been  profuse,  had  absolutely  no  fruit 
left. 

The  season  of  1 864  will  be  as  memorable  for  the  plague  of  plant  lice  on  our 
fruit  trees  as  that  of  two  or  three  years  before  had  been  for  a  visitation  of  a  similar 
insect  on  the  wheat  and  oats ;  and  excepting  as  they  were  fed  upon  by  small  birds 
and  some  insect  enemies,  there  seemed  to  be  no  hope  of  saving  the  Apple  crop  from 
these  minute  enemies. 

The  Peach  crop  is  often  destroyed  by  the  buds  being  killed  by  severe  cold  in 
winter,  and  sometimes  by  the  young  leaves  being  so  diseased  by  a  "  curl "  that  the 
fruit  will  nearly  all  fall  off  when  quite  small.  For  all  these  accidents  the  fruit-grower 
should  not  be  held  to  too  rigid  an  account,  though  some  of  them  might  be  guarded 
against  by  a  judicious  choice  of  a  situation  for  the  orchard.  But  the  fruit-grower 
who  lets  his  Peach  and  Apple  trees  be  girdled  by  Borers  ;  who  permits  his  orchards 
to  be  overrun  by  the  Tent  Caterpillar,  and  his  Plum  and  Cherry  trees,  to  become 
masses  of  knots,  or  his  young  trees  generally  to  be  sapped  by  millions  of  bark  lice, 
deserves  little  commiseration. 

The  tree  in  the  preceding  Plate  had  escaped  all  these  contingencies,  and  showed, 
until  some  time  in  June,  a  promise  of  a  most  bountiful  crop ;  but  then  the  young 
apples  began  to  fall,  and  persevered  in  falling  till  not  a  do/en  were  left  to  come  to 
full  maturity. 

Now  let  us  imagine  the  owner  of  an  orchard,  who  has  taken  the  best  possible 
care  of  his  trees  for  ten  or  fifteen  years,  finding  every  season  the  entire  crop  lying  on 
the  ground  when  not  half  grown,  and  of  no  value — and  the  imagination  need  not  go 
far  to  find  such  an  owner — Does  he  feel  comfortable  1  Perhaps  his  annual  expenses 
overrun  his  income,  but  a  fair  crop  of  fruit  would  have  reversed  his  financial  condition. 
It  was  not  the  fault  of  the  orchard ;  the  trees  were  full  enough  at  one  time.  Why 
did  they  all  fall  off? 

I  have  read  somewhere  that  there  was  once  a  man  who  owned  a  cow — 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  125 

"  But  had  nothing  in  the  world  to  give  her  ; 
And  he  said,  consider,  cow,  consider." 

I 

It  may  have  been  the  sight  of  the  hay-band  in  this  Plate  that  brought  this  old-cow 
poetry  to  my  recollection ;  or  it  may  have  been  the  wormy  apples  under  this  tree  that 
I  am  so  anxious  the  cows  should  have  a  chance  to  eat.  The  word  ''  consider"  is  very 
appropriate  here.  And  now  let  us  go  to  work  and  "  consider"  this  matter  very 
seriously. 

A  young  man  is  just  starting  in  life.  He  has  bought  a  farm  that  is  to  be  the 
permanent  home  of  himself  and  wife.  He  has  probably  gone  in  debt.  The  parents 
on  both  sides  have  contributed  furniture,  and  horses  and  cows,  and  farming  utensils. 
A  comfortable  house  has  been  built.  But  there  is  no  orchard— not  a  fruit  tree  on  the 
place.  'The  catalogues  of  the  nurserymen  are  pondered  over  by  the  young  couple 
every  evening,  and  sometimes  on  Sundays.  At  length  the  trees  are  selected.  The 
best  part  of  the  farm  is  set  apart  for  the  orchard.  The  ground  is  ploughed  deep, 
thoroughly  harrowed,  and  then  staked  out.  The  rows  are  made  scrupulously  straight 
both  ways.  The  holes  are  dug  wide  and  deep,  and  partly  filled  with  rich  soil,  or 
well  prepared  compost  or  garden  mould.  Then  the  trees  are  to  be  bought  and  paid 
for — fifty  or  one  hundred  dollars  cash.  Next  they  are  planted,  and  oh,  what  care  is 
taken  that  this  shall  be  done  exactly  right.  The  young  wife  often  goes  out  to  help 
in  this  labor  of  love.  She  holds  the  tree  while  her  husband  is  down  on  his  knees  filling 
in  the  earth  about  the  roots  with  his  hands.  She  reads  the  name  on  the  label — 
"  Sweet  Bough."  Perhaps  there  is  a  baby  in  the  house ;  and  she  says,  "  How  the 
baby  will  enjoy  these  apples  when  they  are  ripe  !"  The  next  is  a  Spitzenberg.  And 
she  says,  "How  good  these  will  be  in  the  winter — the  long  evenings — and  the  pies !" 
This  young  woman's  mother  was  probably  from  Esopus,  and  had  taught  her  daughter 
to  believe  in  Spitzenbergs  for  pies  and  apple  dumplings.  If  the  Spitzenberg  was  as 
good  in  all  parts  of  our  country  as  it  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  its  native  place,  it 
would  stand  at  the  head  of  the  list  for  such  purposes.  But  in  New  England  the 
Greening  is  the  favorite,  while  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania  the  old-fashioned  Pennock  is 
very  good — or,  at  least,  it  was  very  good. 

This  is  the  time  of  Promise.     That  orchard  is  most  carefully  cultivated  year  after 
year  with  potatoes  and  other  crops  that  will  not  injure  the  trees.     No  grain  is  ever 


126  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

grown  there.  The  ploughing  is  done  with  oxen,  that  there  may  be  no  whiffle-trees  to 
injure  the  bark  of  the  young  trees.  At  length  the  trees  begin  to  blossom.  Blossoms 
are  always  pretty,  but  none  have  ever  been  so  pretty  as  these.  There  is  some  young 
fruit,  but  it  falls  off.  No  matter ;  there  will  be  the  more  next  year.  The  trees  now 
grow  beautifully ;  how  large,  and  what  a  dark  green  the  leaves  are  !  How  often  the 
orchard  is  talked  about !  Every  visitor  must  go  to  see  the  orchard.  It  is  the  Central 
Park  of  that  couple's  little  world. 

Six,  eight,  and  ten  years  have  passed.  Several  babies — but  still  no  "Sweet 
Boughs  "  for  summer,  no  "  Spitzenbergs  "  for  winter.  The  Apple  Tree  Borers  are 
sometimes  found ;  they  came  from  the  nursery  in  the  young  trees,  but  have  been  dug 
out  and  destroyed.  Some  of  the  Pear  trees  have  been  killed  with  Blight.  Bark  lice 
have  been  troublesome,  but  have  been  subdued  by  proper  washes.  Tent  caterpillars 
have  come  from  the  neighboring  orchards,  or  the  neglected  hedge-rows  of  wild 
cherry  trees ;  but  the  clusters  of  eggs  left  by  the  moths  on  the  twigs  have  been  cut 
off  in  the  winter,  or  the  caterpillars  in  their  nests  have  been  killed  when  too  young 
to  have  done  much  mischief.  Other  enemies  have  been  kept  in  subjection  by  this 
careful,  pains-taking,  industrious  young  farmer.  But  the  fruit  all  falls  prematurely,  and 
what  shall  be  done  ? 

Reader,  if  the  ground  under  your  fruit  trees  presents  the  appearance  in  midsum- 
mer of  the  one  on  this  Plate,  either  the  Curculio  or  Apple  Moth,  or  both,  have  been 
there.  Find  out  for  yourself  what  it  is,  by  cutting  into  these  young  fruits,  and  con- 
trasting the  living  things  you  find  there  with  the  grub  of  the  Curculio  on  Plates 
3,  4,  and  5,  or  the  larva  of  the  Apple  Moth  on  Plate  9,  Figure  i.  If  the  grub  of  the 
Curculio  has  been  the  cause  of  all  this  falling,  you  know  what  to  do.  Every  fruit 
that  is  destroyed  by  that  enemy  falls  to  the  ground  with  that  young  grub  inside  of  it, 
and  continues  there  long  enough  to  give  the  fruit-grower  who  chooses  to  destroy  it, 
ample  time  to  do  so.  If,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  the  larva  of  the  Apple  Moth,  as  it 
very  often  is,  in  the  Apples  and  Pears,  then  the  case  is  different.  Many  of  these 
caterpillars,  or  "  worms,"  as  they  are  usually  called,  will  escape  from  the  fruit  before 
that  fruit  comes  to  the  ground.  In  that  event  you  want  some  way  of  trapping  them. 
It  has  been  long  known  that  these  Apple  Worms,  as  well  as  some  other  caterpillars, 
will  take  advantage  of  the  protection  of  cloths,  old  fragments  of  leather,  pieces  of  boards 
lying  near  together,  &c.  I  have  seen  several  notices  from  foreign  papers  recommend- 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  12J 

ing  plans  of  this  kind  for  the  destruction  of  some  species  of  caterpillars  that  occasion- 
ally appear  in  great  numbers  in  Italy  and  France.  Some  of  the  agricultural  papers 
of  our  own  country  also  state  that  the  Apple  Worm  can  be  caught  in  a  similar  way- 
Dr.  Harris,  in  his  work  on  Injurious  Insects,  mentions  it ;  but  I  do  not  know  that 
any  one  has  ever  put  a  plan  of  the  kind  in  practice  to  an  extent  that  would  really 
test  its  value. 

Two  years  ago  I  took  from  the  crotch  of  a  young  Bartlett  Pear  tree  in  the 
orchard  of  my  friend  Dr.  Ward,  near  this  city,  an  old  boot-leg  that  had  been  doubled 
up  and  forced  into  that  crotch.  It  had  become  so  hard  and  dry,  and  the  growing  tree 
had  pressed  it  so  closely,  that  it  had  to  be  cut  to  pieces  to  get  it  out.  This  was  in 
April.  That  old  boot-leg  contained  in  its  different  folds  sixteen  of  the  worms  of  the 
Apple  Moth,  in  their  larva  or  caterpillar  condition,  all  snugly  tied  up  in  their  silken 
cocoons.  When  these  cocoons  were  opened  the  worms  would  creep  off  just  as  they 
would  have  done  when  taken  from  apples  or  pears  in  the  fall  or  summer  before. 
Since  then  I  have  tried  everything  I  could  think  of  that  would  be  likely  to  suit  the 
fancy  of  these  little  caterpillars,  having  this  instinctive  impulse  to  seek  out  places  for 
concealment.  The  details  of  these  various  experiments  will  be  found  in  the  subse- 
quent diary. 

The  result  has  been,  that  the  hay-rope  band,  as  shown  in  this  Plate,  is  not  only 
the  cheapest  and  most  easy  of  application,  but  the  best  of  all  the  contrivances  that  I 
have  tried  thus  far.  But  some  people  will  say :  It  will  take  a  great  deal  of  hay  to  go 
over  a  large  orchard  in  this  way,  and  hay  is  very  dear  now.  I  have  had  a  long  fight 
with  the  insect  enemies.  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  wear  and  tear  of  patience. 
Job  was  a  patient  man — he  bore  all  those  boils  with  commendable  resignation. 
Abraham  Lincoln  has  been  a  patient  man.  To  have  borne  all  he  has  from. the  rebels 
on  one  side,  and  all  their  friends  on  the  other,  without  once  saying  "  by  the  Eternal," 
is  a  manifestation  of  gentleness  almost  superhuman.  I  am  patient.  A  man  who  has 
fought  the  Curculio  for  so  many  years,  must  be  patient.  But  when  I  meet  a  man 
who  counts  the  cost  of  a  yard  of  hay-rope,  when  he  sees  the  ground  covered  with 
worthless  fruit  under  each  of  those  trees  he  has  worked  at  so  long  and  so  faithfully, 
and  with  no  apples,  no  pears,  and  no  fruit  of  any  kind — why  then  I  lose  my  patience, 
and  say — no,  I  won't  say  what  I  would  say.  Reader,  go  with  me  through  the  fol- 
lowing diary  about  the  Apple  Moth — and  then  conquer  it. 


128  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

May  26. — In  an  examination  of  a  box  of  larvae  of  the  Apple  Moth,  collected 
from  the  bark  of  Apple  and  Pear  trees  during  the  last  month  (April),  one  had 
become  a  moth,  the  others  were  about  half  in  the  pupa  cases  and  half  in  larvae. 
This  is  proof  that  there  is  a  period  of  many  days,  indeed  several  weeks,  between  the 
appearance  of  the  first  and  last  of  these  moths,  the  larva  of  which  have  lived 
through  the  winter.  The  moths  and  butterflies  of  some  species  seem  to  come  all 
together.  They  will  swarm  for  a  brief  interval,  and  then  as  suddenly  disappear.  Such 
could  be  taken  in  the  blaze  of  lamps  or  torches,  as  recommended  by  some  writers ; 
but  these  contrivances  could  hardly  be  made  available  for  this  one.  This  irregularity 
in  their  appearance  proves  also  that  most  of  them  are  not  ready  for  the  fruits  till  they 
are  larger  than  they  are  now ;  see  Apples  and  Pears  of  this  date  in  PL  2,  under 
head  of  Curculio. 

July  14. — To-day  I  have  wrapped  hay-ropes  round  several  Apple  and  Pear  trees 
in  Mr.  P.'s  orchard,  three  coils  on  each — one  foot  and  two  feet  from  the  ground — and 
some  round  the  large  limbs  five  and  six  feet  up ;  I  have  also  used  leather  (chamois 
skins),  old  carpet,  and  cloths. 

July  14. — Bartlett  Pears  show  signs  of  Apple  Moth.  A  very  few  have  fallen. 
The  little  brown  dust  is  issuing  from  the  blossom  end,  and  the  black  decaying  spot 
near  is  to  be  seen  in  some  ;  in  others,  the  slightly  discolored  depression.  Should  all 
the  fruit  containing  the  larvae  of  this  Moth  fall  to  the  ground  before  it  escapes,  it 
would  be  as  easily  managed  as  the  Curculio,  by  the  grazing  process ;  but  as  some  of 
the  caterpillars  leave  the  fruit  while  it  is  still  on  the  tree,  the  indications  differ. 

July  17. — Spent  two  hours  to-day  under  Mr.  P.'s  Apple  trees,  cutting  into  hun- 
dreds of  the  blighted  apples  lying  on  the  ground.  Any  one  who  wishes  to  know 
about  the  youthful  state  of  the  Curculio  and  Apple  Moth  can  find  out  about  it  in 
this  way.  "  In  some  of  these  apples  of  the  very  early  kinds,  both  these  enemies  had 
escaped.  In  testing  this  matter  under  one  such  tree,  where  none  of  the  fallen  fruit 
had  been  disturbed,  the  Apple  Moth  larvae  had  escaped  in  the  proportion  of  sixty  to 
forty  that  were  still  to  be  found.  Most  of  these  forty  were  full  grown,  and  ready  to 
leave.  Under  those  branches  of  the  same  trees  where  the  fruit  had  been  picked  up 
a  few  days  before,  the  apples  that  had  fallen  since,  nearly  all  still  contained  the  larva. 
In  the  later  kinds,  and  especially  winter  sorts,  as  Reinettes,  Baldwins,  Spitzenbergs, 
&C.,  scarcely  any  had  escaped.  My  experience  to-day  was  more  comforting  as  to 
our  ability  to  control  this  formidable  enemy  of  the  Apple  and  Pear  than  I  had 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  1 29 

expected.  The  stock  that  eats  the  fallen  fruit  promptly  as  it  falls,  will  destroy  a  vast 
number  of  this  enemy  as  well  as  the  Curculio.  Many  apples  that  are  brought  down 
by  the  Curculio  will  contain  the  other  enemy  also.  Some  will  have  in  them  two  or 
even  more  larv£e  of  the  Apple  Moth,  of  different  sizes,  so  that  if  the  apple  should 
still  hang  on  the  tree  till  the  oldest  one  escapes,  it  will  be  likely  to  fall  before  the 
others  do.  In  this  case  some  will  become  food  for  the  animals. 

This  Apple  Moth  enemy  I  found  more  numerous  to-day  in  these  early  apples 
than  the  Curculio.  I  have  heard  Mr.  Carpenter,  of  Westchester  County,  N.  Y.,  say, 
that  this  was  their  enemy  of  the  Apple  crop,  and  not  the  Curculio;  but  probably 
they  have  them  both  in  about  equal  numbers,  as  in  most  other  parts  of  the  country. 

It  is  true,  undoubtedly,  that  many  apples  that  have  been  bored  through  by  this 
insect  hang  on  the  tree  till  they  ripen.  We  find  such  at  the  cider  mill,  and  in  the 
market  in  the  winter.  Sometimes  they  will  keep  till  spring.  But  suppose  that  all 
that  are  brought  to  the  ground  by  the  falling  of  the  fruit  are  at  once  destroyed  by 
the  grazing  stock,  the  aggregate  will  be  so  much  diminished  that  the  remainder  will 
be  more  at  the  mercy  of  our  adjuncts — the  birds  and  the  hay-ropes. 

In  some  few  instances  I  have  seen  where  this  insect,  in  its  larva  condition,  has 
been  victimized  by  a  parasite  ;  but  when  fairly  housed  under  the  scale  of  bark  it  is 
so  completely  out  of  the  reach  of  these  enemies,  that  we  cannot  rely  much  on  them 
to  assist  us. 

July  \  8. — About  one  in  ten  of  our  Bartlett  Pears  show  signs  of  the  presence  of 
the  Apple  Moth.  Nine-tenths  of  Mr.  P.'s  apples  have  already  fallen  from  this  and  the 
Curculio.  Two  years  ago  my  own  Bartletts  were  very  full,  and  so  large  a  portion,  at 
this  time  in  the  season,  showed  the  presence  of  this  enemy,  that  I  determined  to  take 
every  such  pear  off  the  tree  before  any  had  escaped.  As  many  as  half  a  bushel  of 
these  half-grown  pears  were  taken  from  each  tree  at  a  time,  and  a  few  at  intervals 
afterwards,  and  having  no  pigs  they  were  fed  to  the  horses.  Last  year  these  Pear 
trees  took  a  rest— scarcely  any  fruit.  Even  the  Bartlett  has  to  rest  sometimes — but 
nearly  every  pear  came  to  perfection  and  was  immensely  large.  Without  the 
destruction  of  the  crop  of  enemies  in  the  season  of  full  fruit,  I  could  hardly  have 
expected  any  in  the  season  of  so  few.  This  is  the  great  advantage  of  having  control 
of  the  insect  enemies  of  the  fruits — you  save  the  thin  crops ;  and  these  are  often  the 
only  crops  of  value  for  market.  Fruit  is  scarce ;  and  then,  too,  the  few  of  the  thin 
crop,  if  perfect,  are  so  fine.  We  sometimes  have  a  season  of  such  an  abundance  of 
nearly  every  kind  of  fruit  that  the  insect  enemies  take  all  they  want,  and  we  hardly 
miss  them ;  indeed,  I  can  imagine  that  we  may  have  been  benefited  by  the  thinning 


13O  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

out ;  but  such  a  thinning  out  the  next  year  may  be  fatal.  This,  too,  is  one  reason  of 
our  fruit  trees  taking  on  the  bad  habit  of  irregular  bearing.  A  thin  crop  taken  off 
entirely  by  the  Curculio  or  Apple  Moth  before  old  enough  to  have  exhausted  the 
tree,  will  often  cause  it  to  bear  profusely  the  next ;  when,  if  the  thin  crop  had  been 
brought  to  perfection  it  would  to  some  extent  have  been  exhausted,  and  thus  guarded 
against  this  injurious  superabundance  of  the  next  year. 

Much  has  been  said  about  thinning  out.  I  confess  I  have  never  seen  it  done. 
While  the  fruit  is  small  it  does  not  look  so  thick  ;  and  then,  too,  we  cannot  tell  what 
may  happen — it  is  all  left.  My  experience  is,  that  more  trees  are  propped  up,  or 
broken  for  want  of  props,  than  are  judiciously  thinned  out  at  the  proper  time. 
Perhaps  the  Curculio,  Apple  Moth,  and  other  enemies  were  made  on  purpose  for 
thinning  out,  and  sent  as  a  punishment  for  such  shocking  bad  management  as  is 
shown  in  the  breaking  down  of  fruit  trees  from  being  overloaded.  Even  if  you 
prefer  to  prop,  let  me  beg  of  you  to  thin  out  your  crop  to  the  extent  of  taking  off, 
before  the  middle  of  July,  every  pear  that  shows  the  signs  of  this  little  miner.  That 
pear  will  be  only  a  wind-fall  at  best ;  an  insipid  bite  on  one  side,  and  the  worm  that 
caused  it  will  have  escaped  to  produce  a  whole  brood  of  tormentors  the  next  year. 

July  26. — Have  examined  some  Bartlett  Pears  that  had  fallen  within  the  last 
three  days  from  the  effect  of  the  Apple  Moth.  Found  none  of  the  larva? — all  had 
left.  This  was  not  the  case  ten  days  ago.  Then  many  contained  them  ;  now,  the 
safest  plan  would  be  to  hand-pick  from  the  tree. 

July  28. — A  few  Bartletts  fall  every  day ;  but  the  worm  has  now  always  escaped. 
Stock  to  eat  this  fruit  would  be  useless. 

Aug.  2. — To-day  I  have  uncoiled  one  of  the  hay-ropes  and  found  snugly  con- 
cealed in  their  cocoons  twenty-four  of  these  little  Apple  Moth  caterpillars.  Some 
few  of  the  caterpillars  now  so  plenty  had  also  chosen  the  dark  recesses  under  these 
hay-bands  as  places  of  refuge.  Spiders  were  there  also.  This  is  to  be  investigated 
further.  If  none  of  these  Apple  enemies  have  taken  refuge  in  the  scales  of  bark  either 
above  or  below  this  trap,  it  augurs  well  for  the  success  of  this  simple  management 

Aug.  3. — I  am  now  on  a  trip  of  observation  to  Western  New  York,  and  passing 
a  night  at  Elmira.  In  a  walk  to  the  encampment  of  Rebel  prisoners  this  evening,  I 
saw  many  Apple  trees  in  the  gardens  and  grounds  about  some  of  the  houses.  The 
Apple  Moth  had  laid  the  young  fruit  on  the  ground  by  thousands.  Some  trees  near 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  13! 

the  doors  of  handsome  mansions  had  shed  so  many  that  the  ground  was  nearly  covered 
with  them.  Nothing  was  done — the  fruit  never  picked  up — both  Curculio  and 
Apple  Worm  having  their  own  way.  The  pigs  were  penned  up,  and  were  squealing 
for  food.  They  would  have  enjoyed  this  young  wormy  fruit,  but  they  squealed  in 
vain. 

' 

Aug.  5. — CROOKED  LAKE,  YATES  Co. — Plenty  of  marks  of  the  Curculio  on  the 
apples  about  here,  and  still  more  of  the  Apple  Moth. 

Aug.  7. — NIAGARA  FALLS — GOAT  ISLAND. — A  few  Apple  trees  in  a  garden  near 
the  bridge.  A  full  crop,  but  it  will  soon  fall.  Terribly  infested  with  both  Curculio 
and  Apple  Moth. 

Aug.  10. — Home  again.  Have  been  examining  the  fruit  in  the  barrels.  I  had 
placed,  some  weeks  ago,  a  bushel  of  blighted  apples  in  two  old  flour  barrels  half  filled 
with  earth  and  covered  with  milliner.,  but  during  my  absence  this  covering  has  been 
disarranged,  and  the  young  enemies  have  mostly  escaped.  The  Apple  Moth  larva 
were  found  in  great  numbers  wherever  they  could  conceal  themselves  about  the  old 
barrels.  I  observed  the  cocoons  of  six  touching  each  other  in  a  place  where  the  hoop 
was  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  from  the  stave.  Some  fifty  were  found  about  the 
barrels  in  their  larva  condition,  and  three  pupa  cases.  From  this  time  I  shall  try  to 
test  what  proportion  undergo  their  transformation  the  present  season.  Some  cer- 
tainly do,  and  these  Moths  are  probably  the  parents  of  the  worms  we  find  in  the 
Apples  and  Pears  so  late  in  the  summer  and  fall.  Strange  that  there  should  be  two 
broods  in  a  season  of  some  and  only  one  of  others.  This  is  not  the  only  instance,  but 
such  irregularities  are  rare.  Bartlett  Pears  are  still  falling  from  the  effects  of  the 
Apple  Moth,  but  these  wind-falls  will  soon  be  all  off.  The  crop  is  somewhat  thinned, 
but  plenty  left,  and  very  fine. 

Aug.  1 1. — I  have  at  last  found  time  to  examine  more  carefully  my  Apple  Moth 
traps  set  on  the  14th  of  last  month.  On  a  young  Bartlett  Pear  tree  in  my  own  gar- 
den, five  inches  through,  I  had  wrapped  a  piece  of  Chamois  leather,  eighteen  inches 
from  the  ground.  The  leather  was  folded  into  three  thicknesses,  and  went  twice 
round.  It  was  secured  by  tying  it  firmly  with  twine  near  the  upper  part.  The 
worms  in  ascending  could  easily  enter  under  this  leather,  but  could  not  get  in  from 
above  on  account  of  the  twine  acting  as  a  ligature.  Here  I  found  twenty-one  of 
these  worms,  all  snugly  wrapped  up  in  their  coco,o.ns4  and  ready  for  their  long  sleep. 


132  INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

Some  were  between  folds  of  the  leather,  some  far  in  the  crevices,  and  others  in  the 
fissures  of  the  bark ;  the  leather  in  this  case  answering  the  same  purpose  as  the  scales 
or  layers  of  bark  on  Apple  and  Pear  trees,  and  of  course  affording  more  protection 
from  birds.  Two  feet  higher  up  I  had  wrapped  three  coils  of  hay-rope,  and  there  I 
found  five  more. 

Aug.  12. — At  Mine  Hill,  Morris  Co.,  N.  J.  The  country  improved  by  the 
rains— all  green ;  pasture  good;  none  of  the  brown,  parched  appearance  of  Western 
New  York  a  week  ago.  The  heat,  though  severe,  is  not  at  all  so  oppressive  as  in 
the  cities.  Here  I  can  rest ;  sleep  comes  again ;  can  sleep  in  the  woods  or  under  the 
Apple  trees.  The  heated  brain  is  cooling  off;  the  tension  relaxing ;  mind  is  return- 
ing, and  I  am  beginning  to  think.  Apples  fall  around  me,  not  at  regular  intervals,  but 
often,  day  and  night.  A  breeze  rattles  them  down — all — all  wind-falls.  Attraction 
of  gravitation  brings  them  to  the  ground,  but  the  Apple  Moth  gives  gravitation  the 
chance.  Sleep  again,  and  dream  about  Newton,  the  Principia,  and  Fruit  enemies. 
Wake  up ;  cut  apples  till  knife  and  hands  are  black  and  sticky ;  find  no  grubs  of  the 
Curculio,  but  hundreds  and  thousands  of  their  marks.  From  some  cause  or  other, 
they  have  come  to  an  early  end — generally  before  they  had  destroyed  the  vitality  of 
the  apple.  The  Codling  Moth  enemy  is  the  present  cause  of  the  most  of  this  drop- 
ping. In  cutting  into  these  apples  I  often  fijid  one  of  the  caterpillars,  plump,  full 
grown,  and  pink-colored,  but  most  of  them  have  already  escaped ;  their  excavations 
like  black  and  mouldy  caverns,  the  little  pellets  of  their  castings  tied  up  together 
with  silken  cor  's,  and  often  stowed  away  in  some  deserted  part. 

As  this  caterpillar  approaches  full  growth  it  makes  an  opening,  generally 
through  one  side  of  the  Apple  or  Pear,  sometimes  near  the  stem,  occasionally  at  the 
blossom  end,  and  there  will  be  collections  of  the  drillings  pushed  out,  often  looking 
like  the  chips  in  the  side  of  a  gimlet  after  boring  unseasoned  hemlock  wood.  This 
hole  will  sometimes  remain  plugged  up  for  a  time  with  these  borings,  and  if  you 
make  an  examination  then,  the  worm  will  be  found;  but  soon  it  will  push  out  this 
plug  and  escape,  whether  the  fruit  is  on  the  tree  or  on  the  ground.  It  has  now  come 
to  the  end  of  the  eating  period  of  life.  In  those  Apples  and  Pears  that  ripen  early, 
they  mostly  fall  before  the  worm  is  grown,  and  it  would  then  become  the  victim  of 
the  domestic  animals,  if  these  animals  could  have  the  chance ;  but  at  this  time  of  the 
season  most  of  the  fruit  hangs  on  till  after  the  worm  has  escaped. 

When  it  leaves  the  fruit,  whether  by  day  or  night ;  and  how  it  comes  down 
the  tree,  whether  by  a  cord  or  by  creeping;  it  is  hard  to  know,  The  next  business  is 
to  find  a  suitable  place  of  concealment  from  its  enemies,  and  there  to  form  its  little 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  133 

cocoon.  An  old  flour  barrel  will  be  used  freely.  The  openings  between  the  hoops 
and  staves;  the  cracks  between  the  staves  that  do  not  fit  close;  little  pieces  of  split 
sticks  tied  together  as  faggots ;  two  pieces  of  boards  placed  together  and  laid  on  the 
ground,  or  stood  up  endwise  under  or  near  the  trees,  will  all  attract  them,  especially 
if  those  trees  are  so  young  as  not  yet  to  have  rough,  scaly  bark. 

Some  caterpillars  are  very  particular  as  to  where  they  attach  their  cocoons,  but 
this  one  seems  to  have  little  choice.  Wormy  fruit  carried  into  the  house  will  prove 
this;  the  escaping  caterpillars  will  find  places  to  suit  them  in  your  furniture,  your 
books,  old  papers,  your  clothing.  I  try  so  many  experiments  during  the  summer 
in  my  insect  investigations,  that  I  forget  some  of  them.  I  have  filled  my  pockets  to 
repletion  with  the  wind-falls  of  the  little  early  pears,  such  as  Doyenne  d'ete,  Made- 
leine, etc.  This  coat  has  sometimes  been  hung  up  in  a  wardrobe,  and  the  pears  for- 
,  gotten  until  they  were  too  soft,  and  the  worms  have  escaped.  There  will  be  slight 
obstructions  in  putting  that  coat  on  the  next  time.  The  sleeves  will  be  found  tied 
in  places  with  little  cocoons ;  pockets  contracted.  Where  it  hung  in  folds,  will  be 
little  spots  of  flossy  silk ;  and  when  these  various  cocoons  are  broken  up,  as  they  will 
be  when  it  is  put  on,  that  coat  will  be  found  in  a  very  wormy  condition ;  and  then 
if  the  hands  are  thrust  into  the  pockets  before  remembering  the  summer  pears — 
what  a  muss  ! 

But  in  large  orchards  of  older  Pear  and  Apple  trees,  the  rough  bark  seems  the 
chief  resort  of  this  little  insect.  The  layers  or  scales  become  the  homes  of  nearly  all. 
By  placing  these  worms  on  such  trees,  as  I  have  often  done,  and  watching  their  habits, 
the  instinct  or  reason,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  becomes  a  matter  of  interest. 
How  often  they  will  peep  into  small  crevices,  and  then  out  again!  Sometimes  they 
will  creep  in  and  come  out  at  the  opposite  side,  soon  satisfied  that  they  will  not  suit ; 
sometimes  remaining  many  minutes,  and  then  looking  further.  When  the  proper" 
place  is  at  length  found,  little  cavities  will  be  dug  out  in  the  adjoining  layers  (Plate 
10,  Figure  i),  and  a  firm  border  of  silk  will  be  made,  inclosing  these  two  cavities,  and 
tying  the  scale  to  the  true  bark,  and  this  often  preventing  those  scales  from  falling  off", 
as  they  would  be  likely  to  do  by  the  warping  liable  to  be  occasioned  by  sudden 
changes  of  weather. 

Aug.  20. — Many  of  the  first  crop  of  the  larva?  of  the  Apple  Moth  are  now 
matured — become  Moths.  That  question  is  settled ;  there  are  two  generations  of  this 
destructive  pest  in  the  same  year.  The  Moths  of  the  early  summer  are  not  those  of 
this  generation ;  these  live  but  a  few  days.  The  twenty-one  larvse  I  took  from  under 
a  leather  round  a  Bartlett  Pear  tree  some  days  ago,  and  which  I  placed  in  a  large 
paper  box,  have  all  formed  strongly-made  cocoons.  Three  small  pieces  of  the  staves 


134  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  FRUIT. 

of  an  old  flour  barrel  were  put  into  the  box,  lying  one  on  the  other;  they  are  now  all 
tied  together  firmly. 

Avg,  23. — I  have  to-day  been  examining  my  various  hay-rope  traps  that  were 
applied  on  the  14th  of  last  month.  I  find  that  they  should  have  been  attended  to 
sooner.  About  one  in  five  of  the  worms  have  gone  through  their  transformation  and 
become  Moths,  leaving  only  the  empty  pupa  case.  Ninety-seven  had  taken  refuge 
under  one  of  these  hay-ropes  on  an  Apple  tree  (PI.  1 1)  ;  forty-two  under  another; 
twenty-seven  under  another,  and  six  under  one  that  had  been  applied  to  a  single 
branch  of  a  tree.  When  three  coils  were  made  of  this  rope  the  worms  were  mostly 
found  between  the  first  and  second  coil,  counting  from  the  ground.  They  do  not 
secrete  themselves  in  the  hay,  but  under  it.  If  there  are  scales  of  bark  on  the  tree, 
some  use  them  also  as  an  additional  covering ;  but  most  of  these  had  dug  out  little 
excavations,  saucer-shaped  cavities,  in  the  bark,  round  the  edges  of  which  they  had 
made  their  silken  cocoons,  and  this  cocoon  lies  in  the  dark  protected  space  between 
the  little  concavity  and  the  hay-rope,  bound  to  the  bark  on  one  side,  but  not  usually 
having  any  connexion  with  the  hay  on  the  other.  This  contrivance  seems  peculiarly 
attractive  to  these  worms.  The  tree  was  large,  and  old  enough  to  have  the  body  well 
covered  with  scales  of  bark,  under  which  they  usually  conceal  themselves;  but  upon 
a  careful  examination  only  one  could  be  found  either  above  or  below  that  was  not 
immediately  under  the  rope.  These  experiments  so  far  are  satisfactory.  Leather, 
old  clothes,  and  pieces  of  carpet,  are  all  found  to  be  attractive  also,  but  in  every 
instance  where  I  have  used  either  of  these  I  have  found  more  cocoons  outside  of  them 
than  where  the  hay  has  been  applied.  If  the  hay-rope  will  catch  ninety-seven  out  of 
ninety-eight  that  take  to  the  trees,  it  will  prove  an  effectual  way  of  getting  rid  of  this 
most  formidable  enemy;  and  it  is  hardly  possible  to  find  any  other  material  so  cheap 
or  so  easy  of  application.  In  examining  the  trap,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  slip  it  up 
the  body  of  the  tree  a  few  inches,  and  all  the  little  cocoons,  with  the  worms  inside  of 
them,  are  so  perfectly  exposed  that  nothing  remains  to  be  done  but  to  crush  them 
with  the  palm  of  the  hand,  either  with  or  without  gloves;  then  push  the  rope  back 
again  to  the  same  place,  or  lower  if  necessary  to  make  it  as  tight  as  it  will  well  bear 
without  breaking.  One  rope  will  last  the  season  if  carefully  managed. 

Pupa  cases  of  the  White  Moth  were  found  here.  In  opening  one  a  swarm  of 
two  or  three  hundred  little  Ichneumon  Flies  came  out.  Others  full  of  the  maggots 
of  these  little  parasites  were  found.  These  correspond  in  size  and  appearance  to 
the  Mitrogaster  of  Entomologists.  They  have  all  the  characteristics  of  the  Ich- 
neumon class  ;  the  four  wings,  long,  restless  antennae,  and  the  constant  motion.  How 


THE    APPLE    MOTH. 


'35 


wonderful  these  transmutations  in  the  insect  world !  First  the  egg,  then  the  caterpillar, 
then  the  pupa — then  should  be  that  beautiful  white  moth,  but  instead  out  comes  this 
swarm  of  little  flies.  No  wonder  there  have  been  people  who  believed  in  the  trans- 
migration of  souls. 

My  friend  Mr.  P.,  who  owns  this  fruit  establishment  where  I  pass  so  much  of 
my  time,  was  with  me  to-day  when  I  was  examining  these  hay-ropes,  and  watching 
the  experiments  with  much  interest;  and  when  they  were  all  counted  where  ninety- 
seven  were  found  on  the  one  tree,  he  remarked,  "  That  will  do — I  can  now  save  my 
apples.  Instead  of  eight  or  ten  to  a  tree  I  can  have  as  many  bushels."  He  has  now 
promised  to  change  his  mind  upon  the  subject  of  his  insect  enemies ;  and  next  year 
he  will  follow  my  directions  and  save  his  fruit. 

Aug.  30. — Examined  some  of  the  hay-ropes  again  to-day.  Under  the  one  where 
I  had  found  ninety-seven  a  few  days  ago,  there  were  now  ten  more.  These  I  brought 
home  and  placed  on  the  ground  near  the  foot  of  a  Pear  tree  bound  with  a  leather  trap 
one  and  a  half  feet  up.  Most  of  them  started  at  once  to  this  tree,  and  were  in  a  few 
minutes  secreted  under  the  leather.  Three  seemed  to  have  lost  the  power  of  loco- 
motion, remaining  on  the  ground,  where  they  were  soon  found  and  devoured  by  a 
community  of  small  ants  living  in  that  neighborhood.  So  it  goes — the  destroyers  of 
the  apples  were  destroyed  by  ants. 

I 

Sept.  7. — I  have  taken  to-day  eight  more  Apple  Worms  from  that  tree  in  Mr. 
P.'s  orchard,  and  have  searched  the  tree  faithfully  both  above  and  below  the  hay-rope, 
but  find  none  except  under  the  rope.  These  eight  I  placed  near  the  root  of  the 
Bartlett  Pear  tree.  They  ran  a  little  wild  at  first,  but  were  soon  all  directed  towards 
the  tree,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  were  snugly  secreted  under  the  sheep-skin  eighteen 
inches  up.  This  kind  of  trap  can  be  made  effectual  in  subduing  this  formidable 
enemy.  More  experience  seems  to  be  only  accumulative  of  what  is  fully  proved. 
Whether  it  is  better  than  anything  else  will  require  more  time  to  ascertain ;  but  if 
other  contrivances  should  be  found  superior  to  this,  the  worms  will  certainly  have  but 
a  poor  chance  to  escape  when  they  come  to  be  generally  used. 

Sept.  8. — Visited  orchards  in  the  neighborhood  of  Clinton,  Hunterdon  Co.,  N.  J. 
Find  the  Apples  badly  marked  by  both  Curculio  and  Apple  Moth.  The  bird  enemy 
of  the  latter  has  been  here  too.  Plenty  of  holes  where  it  has  pecked  through. 
Fruit  cultivation  but  little  attended  to  in  this  neighborhood  except  the  Peach,  and  the 


136  INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    FRUIT. 

management  of  that  is  indifferent.     The  soil  is  suitable,  and  the  crops  would  be  good 
if  better  managed. 

Sept.  13. — At  the  American  Pomological  Convention,  Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  repre- 
sentatives from  all  the  Loyal  States,  and  some  from  Canada. 

The  fruits  on  the  tables  were  fine,  and  in  great  variety — Pears,  Apples,  Plums, 
and  Grapes. 

By  one  who  has  not  cultivated  a  propensity  to  seek  out  the  blemishes  in  the 
fruits  caused  by  the  insect  enemies,  most  of  those  on  exhibition  here  would  have 
been  pronounced  fine  ;  but  upon  a  close  examination  by  eyes  like  mine,  where  the 
focus  is  fixed  on  defects,  of  the  hundreds  of  plates,  not  one  in  twenty  contained 
fruits  that  were  all  sound.  Three-fourths  had  Curculio  marks,  and  one-half  had  been 
more  or  less  tampered  with  by  the  Apple  Moth. 

I  was  speaking  on  this  subject  to  a  company  of  delegates  from  different  sections 
of  country,  when  one  from  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  pointed  to  some  of  his  on  a  table 
near  us,  as  all  sound.  This  challenged  an  examination,  when  more  than  half  were 
found  specked  by  one  or  the  other,  or  both  of  these  enemies. 

If  these  specimen  fruits  were  so  defective,  showed  such  evidence  of  the  ene- 
mies, we  may  infer  that  those  left  at  home,  from  which  these  were  selected,  were 
much  worse  ;  showing  unmistakably  that  the  time  is  rapidly  coming  when  something 
must  be  done,  or  all  will  perish  when  there  is  a  thin  crop  to  begin  with,  and  most 
that  are  left  of  the  plentiful  crops  will  be  seriously  blemished. 

But  the  mischief  has  now  become  so  manifest  that  I  found  it  easy  to  produce  a 
decided  impression  upon  the  delegates  by  some  remarks  I  was  called  upon  to  make, 
and  many  expressed  themselves  under  great  obligations  for  the  information  I  had 
given  them. 

Sept.  20. — Examined  my  worm  traps  again  to-day.  My  previous  accounts  have 
been  chiefly  of  one  tree,  and  on  that  one  I  found  twenty-four  more.  This  is  an 
Apple  tree  thirty  inches  in  diameter,  about  twenty-three  years  old,  and  this  year 
having  at  first  quite  a  full  crop.  It  had  been  several  days  since  my  last  visit,  and 
many  of  these  worms  had  changed  considerably  in  appearance,  but  the  most  of  them 
were  of  the  bright  red  or  pink  color,  and  active  when  exposed. 

I  examined  several  neighboring  trees  where  no  hay-traps  had  been  applied,  and 
could  find  plenty  of  these  worms,  but  none  on  the  others  except  under  the  hay. 
My  good  opinion  of  this  mode  of  controlling  this  enemy  is  becoming  more 
and  more  confirmed ;  and  although  new,  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  advise  its  general 
use. 


THE    APPLE    MOTH. 


Sept.  22.  —  Was  at  Trenton  to-day.  The  fruit  in  market  here  is  more  disfigured 
by  the  enemies  than  I  have  seen  it  anywhere  else  this  season. 

Sept.  22.  —  Visited  the  old  orchard,  and  found  plenty  of  apple  worms  under  the 
scales  of  bark.  Did  all  the  apples  containing  the  larvae  of  the  Apple  Moth  fall  to 
the  ground  while  they  are  yet  in  them,  as  is  so  generally  the  case  with  the  young 
Curculio,  they  would  have  been  destroyed  by  this  herd  of  cows,  and  I  should  have 
been  unable  to  find  them  under  the  bark  on  the  bodies  of  the  trees. 

Sept.  26.  —  Was  at  the  rooms  of  the  Farmers'  Club  in  New  York  to-day,  but  the 
Horticultural  Exhibition  interfered  with  the  meeting.  The  display.  of  fruits  was 
good,  in  some  respects  superior  to  that  at  Rochester.  The  Pears  were  very  fine,  and 
some  collections  little  injured  by  the  insect  enemies,  but  the  Apples  were  much 
specked.  I  examined  carefully  twenty-six  plates  of  the  latter,  with  five  and  six 
specimens  on  each,  and  only  eight  were  perfectly  sound.  Not  one  plate  with  all 
perfect.  The  Apple  Moth  had  done  the  greatest  injury,  but  the  Curculio  had  been 
meddling  with  a  great  many  of  them.  Some  of  the  collections  of  Pears  had  also 
been  seriously  injured.  Even  Quinces  showed  marks  of  both  enemies. 

Sept.  28.  —  Made  another  examination  of  the  same  worm  trap,  but  found  only 
two.  The  run  is  evidently  nearly  over. 

Sept.  29.  —  Visited  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  to  attend  the  exhibition  of  the  State 
Agricultural  Society.  The  weather  was  very  wet  and  disagreeable.  Saw  nothing  . 
except  the  fruit.  The  Curculio  and  Apple  Moth  had  made  their  marks  on  this 
Pennsylvania  fruit  even  more  abundantly  than  on  the  New  York  fruits,  at  the  Ame- 
rican Institute  in  the  city,  or  at  the  Pomological  Convention  at  Rochester.  Nearly 
all  the  Apples  on  the  tables  looked  like  wind-falls,  and  ripened  prematurely.  I 
sometimes  visit  the  markets  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  winter,  and  for  some  years  past 
have  seen  more  New  York  (or  western)  apples  there  than  of  their  own  native  kinds. 
This  was  not  formerly  so. 

Oct.  i.  —  Mr.  Freeman,  of  South  Orange,  in  this  County,  five  miles  from  New- 
ark, told  me  to-day  that  common  apples  were  selling  for  30  and  40  cents  per 
bushel.  Many  have  been  sold  as  high  as  60  cents  for  Harrison  and  Canfield  ;  and 
the  cider  made  from  these  two  kinds  finds  a  ready  sale  at  $9  oo  a  barrel.  He  told 
me  also  that  most  of  the  cider-makers  would  not  buy  them,  because  "  they  were  so 
generally  bored  by  worms  as  to  be  dry,  making  but  little  cider."  This  is  another 


INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    FRUIT. 

phase  of  the  Apple  Moth  question.  -Newark  cider  has  been  celebrated  for  many 
years,  and  commands  a  very  high  price.  The  best  is  made  of  a  mixture  of  the 
Canfield  and  Harrison  apples,  and  many  farmers  in  Eastern  New  Jersey  have  large 
orchards,  almost  exclusively  of  these  two  kinds,  but  the  Borers,  Tent  Caterpillars, 
Curculio,  and  Apple  Moth  have  become  such  formidable  enemies  that  the  business  is 
nearly  given  up,  and  must  soon  be  abandoned  altogether,  unless  these  insect  pests  are 
resolutely  met  and  conquered. 

Oct.  6. — Have  again  examined  my  hay-trap  on  the  tree  at  Mr.  P.'s,  but  found 
only  one  worm.  I  have  looked  carefully  again  to-day,  both  above  and  below  this 
trap,  and  find  one  more  outsider.  I  have  caught  nearly  200  under  the  hay-band  on 
this  tree,  and  only  two  outside  of  it.  A  further  examination  on  neighboring  trees 
shows  a  great  number  of  these  worms  in  their  usual  winter  quarters  under  the  bark. 
From  these  experiments  it  looks  as  if  one  of  these  hay-traps  to  a  tree  would  take  all, 
or  so  nearly  all,  that  but  few  would  be  left  for  the  birds. 

Oct.  16. — Passed  two  hours  to-day  in  an  orchard,  a  few  miles  from  the  city, 
examining  the  Apple  and  Pear  trees.  I  found  great  numbers  of  the  larvae  of  the 
Apple  Moth  snug  and  close  in  their  winter  quarters.  It  is  easy  to  see  also  where 
many  more  have  been  equally  snug  in  other  years,  but  had  been  found  by  their  bird 
enemy.  I  observe  no  signs  yet  that  these  birds  have  commenced  their  searches  this 
fall.  Fewer  holes  are  made  by  these  birds  near  the  ground  than  higher  up.  I  find  a 
few  fresh-made  holes  on  some  of  the  Apple  trees  here,  made  by  the  Sapsucker. 

Oct.  30. — The  Apples  in  the  New  York  market  are  now  fine — many  of  them 
what  they  should  be,  perfectly  sound.  They  are  chiefly  from  Western  New  York, 
and  bear  strong  marks  of  having  come  from  the  counties  bordering  on  Lake  Ontario; 
and  any  one  accustomed  to  watching  closely  the  fruit  from  that  section  will  soon  be 
able  to  distinguish  it.  But  with  all  their  perfections  there  are  still  enough  blemished 
to  tell  that  both  Curculio  and  Apple  Moth  are  there.  Should  all  the  apple-growers 
in  that  section  of  Western  New  York  resolutely  determine  to  conquer  these  enemies, 
41  they  would  have  the  means  of  accumulating  wealth  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice," 
as  Johnson  says. 

Nov.  1 8. — Spent  an  hour  to-day  in  examining  the  bodies  of  two  old  dwarf  Pear 
trees  in  Mr.  P.'s  garden,  near  his  asparagus  bed,  and  found  sixty  of  the  asparagus 
beetles  under  the  same  -kind  of  scales  of  bark  where  the  larvje  of  the  Apple  Moth 
are  found — where  lady-bugs,  bouncing  beetles,  flies,  and  spiders  are  found.  The  day 


THE    APPLE    MOTH.  139 

was  mild,  and  all  these  were  only  semi-torpid.  These  asparagus  beetles  in  several 
instances  were  snugly  occupying  the  deserted  cocoons  made  by  the  caterpillars  of  the 
Apple  Moth.  Possibly  the  hay-rope  trap  would  suit  the  fancy  of  these  pests.  Will 
certainly  try  next  year.  I  found  about  twenty  of  the  Apple  Worms  on  these  two 
trees.  » 


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